A new Era of the Legend...
by Winged Kuro Neko
Summary: [6/24/02: chapter 11 updated!] Link and others thought Ganondorf wouldn't cause anymore troubles....but are they right?
1. Evil Revives, and New Trouble Arouses

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Disclaimers: I don't own Legend of Zelda; Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo owns it! I only own the new characters that come out in this fan fic! End of discussion, and let's get the story started!

NOTE: My main char comes out in this chapter (yeah, I know it's really early, but hey, I'm the one writing the fan fic!), and her name's Raine. Her name's supposed to be pronounced "rain", get it? Got it? Good. Also, my main bad guy comes out too.

Chapter One: Evil Revives, and New Trouble Arouses

"Thief! Stop the thief!" A guard yelled as he chased after a cloaked figure around the Hyrule Marketplace. The villagers stood where they were, confused of what was going on. A couple more guards ran after the first guard, trying to keep up.  
As for the figure being called as the thief, it was trying their hardest to shake the chaser off of their tail.  
"Tch..." The figure clicked its tongue and thought as they crossed the lowered drawbridge, 'It's that shopkeeper's fault. If he just accepted the rupees, this wouldn't have happened.'

Exactly a year has passed, and the scars that Ganondorf left were still on Hyrule. And what Zelda, being the Queen of Hyrule, was doing her best to heal the wounds that Hyrule had received from the King of Evil and also the hearts of people. The other six sages had returned to their homes, and were living peacefully among their kinds. As for Link, he was traveling around Hyrule with his horse, Epona. Every now and then, Link would visit Zelda.  
As Link headed toward the castle, he saw a figure in black dash out.  
_'_Hmm.' Link dismounted from Epona and watched the figure disappear over a hill. Then he saw three guards coming toward him, out of breath.  
"Sir, have you... Seen a figure..." A guard said as he gasped for breath.  
"...A figure dressed in black?" Link finished the sentence.  
"Yes... Have you seen her?" The second guard asked.  
"Yes, but I doubt you can catch up to her now." Link said.  
"Y-You must be the Hero of Time!" The last guard gasped.  
"Yes, that's me... Is there something wrong with _me_ being the Hero of Time?" Link asked.  
"Um, no, sir! You should hurry to Hyrule Castle then." The third guard said as he moved out of Link's way and bowed deeply.  
"Thanks." Link smiled as he made his way toward the castle.

"Oh Link!" Zelda said in a delighted voice as she ran up to Link.  
"Hey." Link greeted Zelda. "I just saw a 'thief'. What's going on?"  
"Oh... Yes, there are still problems. Shall we talk in side?" Zelda said as she turned to face the castle.

"So what's been going on?" Link asked as he sat down in a chair in the guest room.  
"The goddesses has spoken to me." Zelda started as she sat down in a chair across from the table from Link, "about the Triforce of Power."  
This made Link remember about the battle that occurred a year ago. About the final battle against Ganondorf.  
"The goddesses has taken the Triforce and secretly gave it to someone in Hyrule. We must find the hold of the Triforce and make sure that person won't realize about it, or if they did, not to let the person use the Triforce in an offending way." Zelda continued to talk.  
"...And you think the holder's that cloaked figure." Link said.  
"I'm not sure, but yes."  
"...And how are we going to get that person?"  
"That is what I want to ask you."

The figure sighed as she sat down in the grass of Hyrule Field. She took her hood off, revealing her black hair with red streaks. The hair was tied up into two ponytails, and each one was tied up once again, back toward the base of her ponytail, constructing two droopy loops. A clump of red strands near her pointy Hylian ears were let down loose, along with her red-haired bangs; the rest of her hair was black. Her fiery eyes' flames danced as she took out what she "stole". It was a necklace with a dark-redinside the stone if you were to see the stone.  
"_He's_ the one who stole it from me..." The figure sighed as she put on the necklace and tucked it beneath the cloak.

Ganondorf was enraged. He's sealed deep within an unknown place-as if he is in a dark forest-and _then_ the goddesses come and take the Triforce. Was it his entire fault for doing what he wanted to do?  
"Of course not..." An unfamiliar voice called out to the angered King of Evil. The voice was of a young man's. "It is the goddesses' faults to make this thing that you call Triforce in the first place."  
The King of Evil turned around to face an unfamiliar young man, unfamiliar as the voice. The young man wore clothing much similar to Ganondorf's-with a cape-except that they were in a mixture of dark blue and black, going along with his black, lightness eyes and his dark blue hair that was tied up into a ponytail.  
"Who are you?" Ganondorf asked as he narrowed his eyes. "And how can you know what I'm thinking?"  
"I have magic to read other people's thoughts." The man said as he bowed. "Forgive me for being rude. I am Zack. Same as you, I have been sealed."  
"You're not same as me. I've been defeated by a mere kid, and I've been sealed by the seven sages."  
"Oh yes I am. A young child has defeated me also. Except that there weren't any sages to seal me. The child had sealed me on her own. And also, I was sealed five years ago."  
"'_Her_'?" Ganondorf repeated.  
"Yes, a young woman. I can still see her blazing red eyes. I cannot believe I was beaten by a thirteen-year-old!" With that thought, Zack clenched his fists with sudden burst of anger.  
"Hmm, perhaps we have taken the same route. Except that I was beaten by a seventeen-year-old, and was sealed a year ago." Ganondorf thought out loud. "Do you think we can get out of this forest?"  
"Maybe yes. It's a pity that they couldn't do a better job at sealing us." Zack snickered.  
"Heh, yeah." Ganondorf grinned evilly. "Once we get out of this place, I am first going to kill that brat." Then the two evils started searching for the end of the forest.  
The foreign girl sighed as she lay down on the green grass. 'Why am I here in the first place?'  
The girl remembered that she was thrown off board from an aircraft. The master of the plane betrayed her; he was planning to kill her at her homeland: Hyrule.  
'Oh yeah... That bastard... What did _I_ do to make him mad?' The girl thought with frustration; she didn't notice that someone was standing at her head.  
"I finally found you, Thief." A voice of a man panted heavily. The girl looked up and saw a Hylian guard looking down at her, with his arms crossed.  
"You're not a good thief." The guard snickered.  
"But I'm a good warrior." The girl said as she jumped up. A double-bladed sword (much like Darth Maul's weapon from Star Wars: Episode I, except instead of saber, they're the blades of a katana, or a sword) mysteriously appeared in her hands.

"This is going to take forever!" Ganondorf growled as he stopped in his tracks.  
"The trees are annoying me." Zack said as he stepped up. His raised his hand up toward the trees, his palm facing outward. A fireball was formed in his hand, and was blasted at the trees. The trees burned away, making a line of burnt ashes. Miles away, they saw something that looked like a door. The two snickered as they started toward the door.

The guard narrowed his eyes as he drew out his sword. He held tightly onto his sword with both of his hands while the girl held her weapon with her left hand. She had her weapon in back of her, ready to slice her enemy. Her other arm was in front of her, to keep balance.  
'...This guy's no match for me.' Th girl thought as she pierced her weapon on the ground.  
"You know what?" The girl started. "You better not fight me...Yet."  
"What?"  
"I'm telling you that you're too weak for me. You won't even last a second if you fight against me."  
The man stood there in awe as the girl retrieved her weapon. The weapon disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. The guard tried to back away when the girl came up to him.  
"Let me just tell you this before I leave you here: My name's not Thief. It's Raine." Raine said. "And, oh yeah. The shopkeeper's the one who stole my possession. I just took it back from him."  
With that said, Raine started her way toward Lake Hylia.  
The guard sighed as he sheathed his sword and thought, 'I should tell Queen Zelda about this,' and started his way back toward the castle.

Ganondorf laughed evilly as he came out of the door. Here he was, back in Hyrule. He was given another chance to conquer Hyrule once again. Zack stepped out onto the green grass and looked around.  
"So this is Hyrule?" Zack asked.  
"Yes. This is where I planned to conquer first before conquering the whole world." Ganondorf replied.  
"Eh, I see." Zack said. "This place is surely a great place to start off."  
"You think so too?"  
The two looked at each other and grinned.  
"We will conquer the whole world together!" The two exclaimed together.  
"But before," Zack changed the subject. "We will get our revenge."  
"Link... I will never forget what you did to me..." Ganondorf growled as he glared at the newly built Hyrule castle.

**And here we end with the bad guy. I doubt it's a great start... Well anyways, please Review!! I need Reviews to keep this story going!!!**


	2. The Hero of Time and the "Thief" Meets

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Disclaimers: Blah blah, on with the usual stuff. Zelda, Link, and all the other peeps that comes out in the game, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is owned by Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo. I own the new chars! Now let's get the story going!

Chapter Two: The Hero of Time and the "Thief" Meets

Raine sighed as she sat on one of the six short poles in the water of Lake Hylia.  
'I wish I never came to here...' Raine thought as she gazed at the clear blue water. She saw the reflection of herself looking straight back at her.  
'I hate myself...' Raine threw a stone at her reflection. The reflection dissolved into the water. Raine noticed that a creature was watching her from behind. Raine turned around and sighed. There sat was a large fox with three long tails. The fur was orange, and the fox's eyes were fiery red like Raine's.  
"I was thinking that you wouldn't have made it." Raine said as she smiled at the fox. The fox looked back at Raine with a puzzled look as he tilted his head to one side. Why was she sad? Wasn't this her homeland, where she grew up in for just five years before she was taken away?  
Raine got up and hopped back to where the fox was. She went up to the creature and patted him on his head.  
"It's okay. I need to find out about some things while I'm here. You can say I'm lucky." Raine told her companion. But as she turned away, "but not lucky too... I can't go to the castle to talk to the Queen now for what I did."

The Hero of Time and the Sage of Wisdom thought hard for a way to prevent another chaos in Hyrule when a guard came rushing in. Zelda stood up to order the guard out, but seeing him in a hurry made her stop.  
"What's wrong?" Zelda asked the guard.  
"The..." The guard panted.  
"Please, take a seat and rest up a little." Zelda told the guard. The guard gladly took a seat and drank a cup of water a servant had placed before him. After a few minutes of resting, the guard started again.  
"The Thief seems to be at Lake Hylia. I've already sent a group of guards to arrest her."  
Zelda turned to Link. Link just nodded.  
'Will this be the rightful thing to do?' Zelda thought as she sighed. Then, "very well. Arrest her if you can."  
The guard stood up and bowed down at the Queen of Hyrule. Then he exited the guest room.  
Zelda sighed as she plumped back into her seat. Link noticed that Zelda wasn't sure about this whole case, but he decided not to ask her about it.  
"Do you think this is right?" Zelda finally asked as she sighed. "I-I just don't know anymore. You know _if_ Ganondorf's seal is broken, we wouldn't be able to stop him from destroying Hyrule."  
"I know..." Link sighed. "But you know, it's no use stressing out about it. We'll just do whatever we can for now, and that is to find the new holder of the Triforce of Power, and make sure they won't go crazy about it. And you know I doubt that the seal will be broken at any chance. Ganondorf doesn't have the Triforce piece anymore."  
"Yes, I guess you are right..." Zelda sighed.  
"It's not like you, Zelda." Link said in a worried voice. "Are you alright?"  
Zelda sighed as she got up from her seat. "Yes... I'm just... Tired." She tried to head toward the exit, but unfortunately, she fainted. Link got up like in a flash and was in time to catch Zelda in his arms.  
Link sighed. "She's been trying too hard..." He picked Zelda up in his arms and headed out the door, toward Zelda's bedroom chamber.

_"Zelda!" _A familiar voice was heard.  
"Who is it?"Zelda asked as she opened her eyes. Instead of being in her castle, Zelda was standing in complete darkness.  
_"It is I, Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom."_ The same voice answered. A blue light appeared in front of Zelda; the light formed into a figure of a woman. The long blue hair flowed in the unfeeling wind. Zelda bowed down at the blue figure.  
_"Unfortunately, I have a bad news."_ Nayru sighed.  
"Is it with the Triforce of Power?"  
_"That Triforce piece always has a problem..."_ Nayru sighed. _"But, it is not about that. It is about Ganondorf. We have underestimated him."  
_ "You don't mean..."  
_"Yes, Ganondorf has broken the spell. Even if he had lost his Triforce piece, he is still strong enough to destroy Hyrule. Instead of getting weaker, I believe he got stronger."_ Nayru told the Queen of Hyrule. _"You must find the new holder of the Triforce piece as quickly as possible."  
_ "Is the new holder who we think it is?" Zelda asked.  
_"Even I do not know who the new holder is."_ Nayru sighed. _"I wish I can be more help, but all I know is that Din has given the piece to a being that needs it the most."  
_ "Oh... I see. Thank you for the news, Nayru." Zelda thanked the goddess before the light disappeared.

The next thing Zelda knew was that she was lying on her bed, in the bedroom chamber.  
"Zelda!" Link's relieved voice was heard.  
Zelda sat up in her bed and looked at Link. "I'm so sorry... I..." She started, but was cut off by Link's hug.  
"Don't try so hard, okay?" Link whispered at Zelda's ear as he held tight to Zelda. "Don't worry, I'll be with you."  
"Umm..."  
"Oh yeah. Sorry." Link said as he pushed gently from Zelda.  
"It's okay." Zelda said as she smiled at Link. Link was relieved to see Zelda's happy face. Then Zelda remember about the dream.  
"Link, there's some bad news." Zelda told Link. "Nayru spoke to me, and she told me that Ganondorf broke the spell."  
"What?!" Link partially yelled.  
"I can't believe it either." Zelda said as she looked down at her hands. "But if he's someplace in Hyrule, then he would surely be heading toward the castle."  
Link sighed as he flopped into a chair. "Great... Fantastic... Just as when we were about to get rid of the nightmare..."  
"...And to make it worse, Ganondorf has gotten stronger instead of getting weaker when the Goddesses took the Triforce piece. I believe his rage was turned into power."  
Link just sighed.  
"But as long as we do whatever we can do, we might be able to defeat Ganondorf and seal him for eternity."  
"Yeah... I hope." Link said glumly.

The fox's ears perked up suddenly. Raine noticed too: there were countless pairs of eyes watching the two.  
Raine sighed. 'Is this my fate? Behind the bars?'  
The fox started to growl as the Hylian guards came out of their hiding places. They were awestruck by the unfamiliar creature. But after a couple of seconds, they took out their swords and surrounded the young warrior mistaken as Thief.  
The fox was about to pounce at his enemies, but Raine stopped him.  
"Zane, don't. I'll take care of them myself. Just go hide someplace, all right?"  
The fox bared his sharp teeth at the soldiers before a big burning flame enveloped him. When the flame died out, the fox was gone.  
"Okay, five versus one. This should be an easy match for you." Raine told the guards as her double-bladed sword appeared in her left hand. She got into her "ready-to-attack" position, with her left hand in back of her in a way so that the weapon was going horizontally, and her right hand in front of her, to keep balance. Her blazing fiery eyes narrowed into a glare.  
The five guards charged all at once. A guard slashed at Raine, but she dodged the attack by jumping to her left. But to her left, another guard jumped up, and attempted to slice her. Raine also dodged the attack by jumping away again. And yet another guard came up to her and attacked. This time, Raine blocked the attack with her double-bladed sword. The fourth guard saw this as a chance and slashed at Raine's side. Raine pushed the third guard away and jumped away from the fourth guard. The fifth guard came up from behind and tried to stab Raine's shoulder. Raine ducked just in time and kicked the guard's feet to send him crashing to the ground.  
'They're better than I thought.' Raine thought as she bit her lower lip. 'This is not good...'

"The guards are taking too long. I wonder what happened..." Link mumbled as he stood up.  
"I'll be fine. You can go ahead and see what's happening." Zelda told Link.  
Link was worried about the Queen, but he listened to her; he didn't want Zelda to fall ill again.  
"Okay. Just stay in this room, all right? You're still not recovered yet." With that said, Link turned to head out the door.  
"Link," Zelda stopped him. "Be sure to take the Master Sword with you."  
"Okay." Link winked at Zelda as he exited the room.

"I believe we should keep ourselves hidden for a while." Zack told Ganondorf. "I have a feeling that the Goddesses might have told the Queen about you already."  
"Eh? Do you think I'm an impatient person?" Ganondorf snarled at Zack.  
"Fine then. You may take your own path. But do not come back to me crying for help." Zack crossed his arms across his chest. His black eyes narrowed dangerously at Ganondorf.  
"We have to take over the castle as soon as we can." Ganondorf spat. I'm sure that Link and Zelda would find out a way to defeat us. Before they even come up with a plan, we have to crush them. They're dangerous to be kept alive: they go to hell first."  
"Whatever you say, Ganondorf." Zack sighed. "But we should still find a place to hide out when something happens."  
"Maybe that's why you were sealed for five years." Ganondorf snickered. "You tend to run away. If you're going to conquer the world, you better not run away."  
Zack sighed. "If the woman who sealed me is here, she would surely go to the Queen first. If she still remembers how to seal me, she would be a very difficult enemy to defeat."

Link left the castle with the Master Sword in hand, mounted on Epona. He raced toward Lake Hylia as fast as his mare can go...

Raine was getting tired from dodging and attacking. Sweat was dripping from her face, and she was panting rather heavily.  
'Five versus one is rather hard...' Raine thought.  
As for the soldiers, since there were five of them, they weren't as tired as Raine.  
The first guard attacked Raine, attempting to slash at Raine's left shoulder. Raine jumped away but wasn't fast enough to recover from her escape. The fifth guard slashed at Raine's left shoulder. Raine winced with the pain, but was able to jump away from the fifth guard.  
"You know Thief, you would've made a extremely great warrior if you haven't committed any theft." The fifth guard said as he pointed at Raine with his bloodstained sword.  
"I'm telling you, I'm not a thief! I'm born as a warrior, and will live as a warrior." Raine replied as she covered her wound with her right hand.  
'Too bad I don't have any items to heal me...' Raine thought. 'I'll just have to try this to show what I mean...'  
Raine closed her eyes. Soon after that, the blades of Raine's double-bladed sword began to get enveloped with flames. Once the blades were glowing red, Raine opened her eyes and dashed toward one of the guards. If one were to look straight in Raine's eyes, the could've noticed that there was a dramatic change in her eye color: her eyes were darker red, as if light has left her eyes. She slashed at the guard, but the guard managed to dodge the blade itself, but a part of his sleeve was burnt from the flames. The guards were awestruck by the "Thief's" magical skills, but did not show it. Even though Raine's weapons was a dangerous one, but Raine's health was pretty low. They managed to give some scratches to the feminine warrior when she attacked.

Link came to Lake Hylia just in time to see Raine use her magical powers. For a moment there, Link thought in horror that the mysterious warrior had used the power of the Triforce. But sensing that the Triforce was still not active, Link sighed with relief. But the relief did not last long; even if the warrior-thief used her own magical skills, she would be able to kill the five elite soldiers.  
Link dismounted from Epona and ran over to where the five guards were as he drew out his Master Sword and his shield.

Raine was about to attack the nearest guard when a figure in green came dashing down from the dull hill. He came in front of the guard Raine was about to attack, and blocked her attack with his sword. The sword turned red from the heat. Raine pushed away from the man in green and landed a few yards away from him.  
"Go back to the castle." The man in green told the five guards.  
"You are going to fight the Thief alone?"  
"Who do you think I am? I'm the Hero of Time!" When Raine heard that, she blinked a couple of times, making the light come back to her eyes.  
"I'm terribly sorry." The five guards bowed and hurried off back toward the castle.

Link sighed softly as he turned back to face the female warrior.  
"Are you alright?" Link asked.  
"Why do you bother asking?" The warrior grumbled as she panted. Blood was dripping from her wounds; it seems that she had lost a lot of blood. Link wondered why she wasn't dead of even unconscious.  
"Because I care?" Link shrugged.  
The warrior snickered. "You care about a warrior that's called a 'Thief', eh?"  
"In fact, I do."  
The warrior's eyes widened. "What's wrong with you..." The girl mumbled. She sighed as she dropped to the floor, unconscious.  
Link tried running up to the fallen warrior, but was soon stopped by a growl behind him. Link froze in place as he saw a large fox-twice as big as any normal fox-with three tails. The fox whimpered as he went up to the unconscious girl. He nudged the girl's face with the tip of his nose. The fox lay down beside the girl and looked at her with sad red eyes.  
Link carefully went up to the fox and gently patted his head.  
"Don't worry, I'll rescue your companion." Link told the fox. The fox glared at the Hero of Time, but didn't do anything.  
"Help me if you can, all right?" Link said as he smiled. The fox got up and watched Link pick up the girl. He went up to the fox and lay the girl on the back.  
"Follow me to the castle and we can heal her." Link said as he mounted on Epona and kicked at her sides gently. The horse neighed and started toward the castle. 

**So much rubbish this time... I tried to put in more action... but didn't turn out right. YEAY! You've got to meet one of the cooler chars, Zane! He's so cool. No, I'm not hyper. Please Review!!!!**


	3. The story of the "Thief"-Part I

**Disclaimers: ::sighs:: the usual stuff. The chars that come out in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are owned by Shigeru Miyamoto-san and the Nintendo company. I own the new chars.**

Chapter Three: The story of the "Thief"-Part I

'Where... Where am I?' Raine thought as she opened her eyes. She found herself in a brightly-lit room, lying on a soft bed. She winced as she sat up slowly.  
'Oh yeah... I got 'killed'." Raine sighed. She noticed that she wasn't wearing her cloak. Raine usually wore a black sleeveless turtleneck and black pants: not what you would see in Hyrule. The jewelry she wore were two red ring bracelets that looped around each other that she wore on her left hand. But Raine wasn't wearing her clothes: clothing that was somewhat like a dress. She also noticed that she was covered in bandages.  
"Oh you're awake!" A cheerful voice was heard from the side of the bed. Raine's eyes widened as she saw who was sitting in a chair beside the bed.  
"Queen Zelda!" Raine gasped in surprise. She was so surprised that she fell down from the bed.  
"Really, you don't need to get _that_ surprised." Zelda said as she smiled at the fallen girl.  
"I'm sorry." Apologized the girl as she got up, embarrassed of what she had just done. Then, "Umm, I am not trying to be rude, but why am I wearing a dress?"  
"Your clothes were covered with blood, so I washed them for you." Zelda said as she pointed at Raine's clothes that sat on another chair. "They're all clean and dry, so you can change back into your own clothes. But I must say, you look very beautiful in a dress."  
"..." Raine stayed silent as she headed toward the chair with her clothes. "Umm, can I be excused for a minute?"  
"Sure." Zelda smiled as she got up and left the room.

Zelda saw Link waiting in the hallway when she came out of the room.  
"How's the girl?" Link asked.  
"She seems better than I thought." Zelda replied. "It might be that her mental strength is strong."  
"That's good to hear."  
"But I'm not sure if she can stand a chance when the Triforce of Power gets activated..."  
Link just sighed when he heard the Triforce piece. He turned to the room door and mumbled,  
"I can't believe she would be the holder of the Triforce."  
"I'm not sure yet, but I doubt I'm right. I can't even sense the Triforce piece."  
"Hmm, that's strange."  
"What are we going to do now? Once the girl finds out about the secret, she would surely go insane..."  
"Well, let's not try and talk about it anymore, all right?"

"It's nice to be in your own clothes..." Raine sighed with satisfaction as she put her cloak on. Then instead of heading toward the door, Raine headed toward the window and opened it.  
'I know I'll be in jail for sure, but I have to do my business...' Raine thought. She had a feeling that the Queen of Hyrule would force her to stay in the castle for whatever reason; and she didn't want that.  
Raine jumped out the window, and landed softly on a thick branch. Seeing that the guards were not looking at her direction, Rain jumped down to the floor and started her way back toward the marketplace.

"I wonder what's taking her so long..." Zelda thought out loud as she opened the door. She gasped in horror as she saw the empty room. She noticed the bandages and the dress lying on the bed. Zelda ran over to the open window and looked down. Then she turned to Link.  
"She's gone..." Zelda managed to say.  
"What?! If she steps out of the marketplace, she'll surely be noticed by Ganondorf!"  
"Guards!" Zelda called for the guards.  
One guard appeared at the doorway.  
"Yes, your highness?"  
"Send a group down to the marketplace and search for the thief." Zelda ordered.  
The guard bowed and jogged away from the doorway.

At the marketplace, it was in total chaos. People were running around, panicked. Raine was kneeling on a tree branch, hidden from the leaves.  
'What's going on?' Raine looked around and was confused. But when she saw two figures walking toward the castle from the drawbridge, Raine's eyes widened with horror as she recognized one of the figures.  
"It can't be...!" Raine managed to mumble.

"The villagers are all frightened by your presence." Zack mumbled.  
"That's what I want." Ganondorf sneered. "Let's hurry to the castle. But when they reached to the path that goes to the castle, a figure wearing a cloak jumped down from a tree. The figure was wearing the hood on, so Ganondorf couldn't know if the figure was a male or a female. All he saw from the shadows that the hood made was the blazing fiery eyes.  
A double-bladed sword appeared in the figure's left hand.  
"It's you..." Zack growled at the figure.  
"I thought I sealed you!" The figure growled back. Ganondorf heard a female voice from the cloaked figure.  
"You will pay for what you've done to me!" Zack's frown grew into an ugly grin as he raised his right hand at the figure, his palm facing out. There was a bright flash, and something purple blasted out of his hand, enveloping the figure.

'What is this?' Raine thought as she looked at her hands; something purpled floated around her. Then she saw her double-bladed sword disappear.  
"I have sealed your magic. You're just another Hylian now!" Zack laughed evilly. Then he turned to Ganondorf. "Let's go. We've shaken up this place enough."  
Ganondorf shrugged in his mind as he followed Zack out.  
Raine knelt down, paralyzed from the seal.  
'What am I supposed to do now?' Raine thought. She sat down as leaned against a building and took off the hood before she blacked out. Soon a group of guards came down from the path from Hyrule Castle. They saw the thief sitting at a building, as if she was asleep. To them, they couldn't see the purple "thing".  
"Take the Thief back to Hyrule Castle and put her in jail. You and you," The leader said as he pointed at two guards, "come with me to calm down the town."

'Where... am I...?' Raine thought as she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but as they came to focus, she realized that she was finally captured. She was, indeed, in the dungeons.  
"So you're finally awake." A familiar voice was heard.  
"Who is it?" Raine called out.  
"It's me, Hero of Time." The man said as he put a light on a torch, revealing his face. "But I'd rather prefer being called as Link."  
"Why are you here? Want to watch a 'thief' die?"  
"Nope I'm here so you can't escape like last time."  
"Don't worry. I can't."  
"Why?"  
"...I'm only another Hylian. I don't have my weapon anymore."  
"What happened?"  
"Why do you want to know?" Raine's eyes narrowed.  
"I keep on thinking I know you from someplace."  
"...I just met my worst nightmare a few hours ago..."  
For a moment, Link thought she was talking about Ganondorf.  
"I managed to seal him five years ago, but I was always afraid that he would break the seal... And now he does, and curses me. He got more powerful. Maybe it's because of that red-haired, big-nosed, insane-looking guy."  
Link's eyes widened in horror when he heard her describe Ganondorf.  
"I think you better talk to Queen Zelda about that." Link managed to say.  
"This is _my_ problem, and _I'm_ going to clean it myself. It's all my fault in the first place."  
"Tell me what happened five years ago." Link demanded. Raine looked at Link weirdly, but decided to tell. Somehow, she too thought she knew Link from someplace in Hyrule... but where?  
"Eight years ago, when I was ten, I accidentally broke the seal of the Forbidden Temple..."

_Ten-year-old Raine found herself in the Forbidden Temple. Her so-called "friends" had forced her to go into the temple that was near the village Rain lived in. The reason? They were jealous of her beauty, and wanted her to disappear._

"That's the reason? Just because you were pretty?" Link asked in surprise.  
Raine nodded. "All the boys "noticed" me. I personally thought it was sick. I didn't even think I was pretty."  
"So is that why you're wearing that kind of clothes?"  
"What else, dresses make me stand out."

__

Raine wondered in the temple. Instead of worrying if she is allowed to be in such place, Raine was curious to see what was in the temple.  
Soon Raine came to a stone door. No matter how hard she tried, Raine couldn't open the door. When she was about to give up and head back, she noticed that there was some kind of pedal on the wall. Raine curiously went up to the pedal and pressed her hand on it. The pedal went into the wall, and from the ground, a small treasure box appeared. Raine opened the box and found a red stone inside: the Stone of Sealing.

Raine took the necklace out and showed it to Link.  
"I've always kept it with me since I found it." Raine told him.  
"That's one mysterious necklace." Link commented. "I've never seen one like it."  
"It's the only one stone in the whole world." Raine said as she let it dangle. "Even that Nightmare doesn't know I sealed him with this stone."  
"Hmm, I see." 

_Once as Raine picked the stone up, the stone began to glow bright red. At the same time, the door suddenly opened.  
There stood a young man, about in the teen's age. His two black eyes were light less; he wore a black cape, and wore dark blue armor over his black clothes. He had a sword in its sheath at his left side.  
Raine backed into the shadows as quietly as possible.  
Fortunately, the man didn't notice the young girl.  
"At last, I am free!" The man roared with evil laughter. Then he marched outside. Raine followed after the man, not wanting to be alone._

"...Which was a mistake." Raine said as anger and sadness flashed in her fiery eyes.  
"What did he do?" Did he do something like what Ganondorf did?"  
"Who?"  
"He's someone who was insane and evil. He conquered Hyrule once, but I defeated him and the sages sealed him. What he did was that he covered the whole place with darkness and evil."  
"That Nightmare did worse."

_"Come on, you wimps! Hurry up!" The man roared as he snapped his whip down to the floor. There was a row of people, carrying loads and loads of things toward the storage room. The man had captured the villagers as slaves. Some of the villagers betrayed others and became the soldiers of the evil man to escape from the hard labor.  
As for little Raine, she hid from the man from since the man was freed. An old man noticed her the first day, and instantly knew she was the one that had all the responsibility.  
Raine understood that; she wasn't like any other child._

One day, Raine ran up to the man, and shouted at him.  
"You devil! Why are you doing this to them?!"  
The man looked down at the little rebel. "What did you say?" He said slowly.  
"I told you to get out of this place!" Raine kicked the man's leg.  
"Raine! What are you doing?!" Raine's mother hissed at her daughter.  
"So, this girl here is your daughter?" The man stared at Raine's mother.  
"Y-Yes... P-Please, don't kill my daughter!"  
"That can't be helped. She went over the boundaries."  
"Please, don't kill her! Kill... Kill me instead!"  
"Ah, how lovely. Having love for the little child?" The man snickered.  
Raine just started at her mother.  
"So be it. Guards, take them to the waterfall and send them down." The man ordered.

"Let me go!" Raine struggled as she tried to break free from the strong grip of the guards. But as for her mother, she wasn't seemed to be fighting back.  
Soon they were at the waterfall. Before Raine could do anything, the guards threw the two into the water right before the waterfall...

"...And your mother died?"  
"Yes... When I woke up, I was at a shore, in my mother's arms."  
Link saw a teardrop drop to the cold floor.  
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked that question."  
"It's okay. I think I can believe you..." Raine said as she smiled weakly at Link.

_For a day, Raine never left her mother's cold body. She was on an unknown land, and she was too scared to go off by her own. She wept for that whole day, not caring about anything else.  
But soon her hunger over-took her control. Raine set out into the woods, to find anything that is edible. But that turned out to be a mistake: monsters were lurking everywhere in the woods, and one that looked like a Lizard just happened to appear in front of her.  
Raine took a couple steps back, not sure of what to do. Not thinking, Raine took a stick that was lying on the ground and charged at the Lizard-like monster. The monster drew out the sword from its sheath at its side and attacked Raine, chopping the stick into half. Raine picked up more sticks and threw them at the monster. The monster easily chopped the sticks into pieces, but once he was done, the girl had escaped._

"I see that you, too, have natural fighting skills and determination." Link commented.  
"'Too'?"  
"I found out I had natural skills when I was ten... Enough with _my_ story. Go on."

_Raine ran through the woods, finding any place to hide. But the lizard was faster; he came right up to the girl and slashed at her back. Raine, luckily, ducked and dodged the attack. But unfortunately, because of the sudden loss of balance, Raine tripped and fell down to the ground.  
"Oww!" Raine muttered. The lizard came up and was about to bring down his sword, but a figure came out and blocked the attack.  
"Hide some place!" The figure shouted at the girl in a muffled voice. Raine got up and ran off, hid behind a tree, and peered out to observe the battle.  
The figure was wearing a black cloak, with the hood on. It was using a double-bladed sword, a very rare weapon to be seen.  
The figure pushed back the lizard-soldier and before the monster can regain his balance, the figure slashed at the lizard's abdomen. The lizard fell to the ground breathing its last breath.  
Raine slowly got out of her hiding place as the figure turned to look at the girl.  
"Umm... Thank you." Raine said as she bowed.  
"No problem." The figure said as it turned away. Then the two heard a low, quiet rumble. The figure turned to face Raine, who was pink in face.  
"I-I guess I forgot I was hungry..." Raine said shyly. "Do you have any food you can spare?"  
"Follow me." The figure said as it started its way in a certain direction. Raine ran up to the figure and followed._

After a while of walking, the two came to a house. The figure let Raine in, but did not go inside. Raine looked at the figure with a puzzled look.  
"I'm going to hunt for food. You stay here." The figure said as it went into the woods. Raine sighed as she sat down on a stool.

After hours of waiting, the figure came back with berries and meat. The figure lay the food down and took off the hood. The figure was a man, in his thirties. He had beautiful sky-blue eyes and long spiky blond hair.  
The man settled down as he started making a fire in the round pit in the middle. Once the fire was built, the man hung the game over the fire.  
"Umm, may I ask your name?" Raine asked.  
"... Name's Lien." Lien answered.  
"My name is Raine."  
"'Raine'... You're named after 'rain', eh?"  
"My parents never told me much about things..." Raine replied.  
"Well, it's 'k. Let's just say you're named after the raindrops."

Years have passed, exactly three years. Raine had grown into a teenager, and had already adapted to the lifestyle in the woods.

"Here come another Lizalfos!" Lien shouted at Raine. Raine got her long daggers into her guarding position as the lizard-like monster fell down at Raine from the trees. Blades crashed at each other; Raine pushed herself away from the Lizalfos and slashed at it before it regained balance. Raine attacked in a dancing-style, which made it easier for Raine to attack continuously.

"So that's how you sharpened your skills." Link thought out loud.  
"Something like that."  
"Well the dance-like attacks are from using the daggers, right?"  
"Yes."

_After the battle, the two settled down for a break.  
"Raine, I have something to tell you." Lien said.  
"Yes?"  
"Raine, this place isn't your true homeland. Your homeland is Hyrule, a great land far away from here. You are a Hylian, Raine. See your ears? That is the proof."  
Raine touched her Hylian ears.  
"But before you go to your homeland to seek your true self, you must defeat the evil that lurks in this land. You have the power to defeat him."  
"But, how do you know that I'm a Hylian? And me being the only hope?" Raine asked.  
"I found a letter in her mother's body the day I met you." Lien told Raine. "The letter said that you were a Hylian. About you being the only hope, I just have a feeling that you are one. Your natural skills is the proof to me."  
"Well, might as well take a chance." Raine shrugged.  
"...You also have magical spells that you didn't know. Summon my weapon whenever you have to. You don't need to bring your weapon with you."  
"Really?! You mean, I can use your weapon?!"  
"Yes. Now go, and defeat that Nightmare."_

To be continued...

**How'd ya like it? Yeah, the chapter got a little longer... But it seems that _some_ people like to read this. Please Review!**


	4. The story of the "Thief"-Part II

**Disclaimers: blah blah, you know; Miyamoto Shigeru-san and the Nintendo company own Zelda: OoT. I own new chars!**

Chapter Four: The story of the "Thief"-Part II

_'I'm here... I can get my revenge and free my friends...' Raine thought as she gazed at the village roofs that Raine was forced to leave three years ago.  
'I wonder what happened to them...'  
Raine wandered into the village, but was surrounded by soldiers in no time. There were faces Raine recognized, but they didn't seem to recognize her.  
"Leave this place at once!" One of the guards said coldly at Raine.  
"Come on! Can't I just stay here for one day?" Raine complained.  
"No, that can't be done. Leave here right now, or else." The guards took out their weapons.  
Raine sighed as she summoned the double-bladed sword, seeing that the guards wouldn't let her stay. She immediately charged at one of the guards, and knocked his weapon out of his hands; the rest of the guards stood in their place in surprise and fear.  
"Don't tell Lord Zack about me." Raine glared at the guards. But she froze as she heard a snicker from the back.  
"Don't tell me what?" Zack smiled evilly. Then to the guards, "Guards, take her to jail."  
The guards seized Raine's arms and dragged her to the dungeons before she can break free._

Raine fell to the cold ground as the jail bars closed behind her. She got up and grabbed the bars.  
"Let me out!" Raine roared at the guards heading toward the entrance.  
"It's...No use." An ancient voice said behind her. Raine turned to see an old woman sitting at the corner of the jail, with a couple kids sleeping peacefully in her lap.  
"Who're you?"  
"It does not matter. Come here, my child. Let me see your face."  
Raine obeyed and came up to the old woman and knelt down, showing her face.  
"No...! It can't be! Raine, is that really you?" The old woman cried.  
Raine looked at the old woman with her confused look.  
"You were like my grandchild to me..." The woman sighed. "...I can't believe you broke the seal."  
"I-I'm sorry..." Raine sighed as she looked away.  
"The rest of the villagers are enraged at you. You must not show your face."  
"I know..."  
"Then why did you come back to this horrid place?"  
"To get my revenge for killing my mother, and to free you fellow villagers."  
"You know you cannot defeat Lord Zack!"  
"I know, but I'm the only one that can get out of here and assassin him. No one else has that much strength to even stand up to him."  
"I believe you're right."  
"Well, I'm gonna get some sleep. It's been days since I last took some rest." Raine said as she smiled. She went to the opposite corner from the old woman and sat down.

Night fell. Fewer guards were guarding the entrance of the dungeons than during the day. Raine took this as a chance. Raine summoned her double-bladed sword and slashed at the bars. The bars were sliced, and some pieces dropped, making a loud clanking sound. Raine turned to the old woman, and relieved to see that she was still sleeping. Raine crept out of the jail and went toward the entrance.

"Hmm, I wonder what made that noise?" One guard thought out loud.  
"Why don't you go check?" The other guard told him.  
"Okay." The guard turned to see the traveler swing a club at his head before he blacked out.  
"What the-?!" Before the guard could do anything, Raine swung another whack at the other guard's head. The guard dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"...Then came Zack." Raine told Link. "We had a glaring contest, and finally went into battle. No one else was awake to interrupt us, so I fought like a monster. I attacked Zack furiously; at the same time, Zack defended with all his might: we were equal in strength."  
"I see..."

"The battle went throughout the night. It was when the sun was about to rise. The sky was getting bright. Both of us were tiring. That's when Zack made a mistake. He leaned on his sword to catch a breath when I was trying to get back my balance. I charged at him and slashed his left arm. Then suddenly, a bright, red light flashed; I saw my necklace glowing, and then I looked up to see Zack, enveloped in flames. Before Zack or I could do anything, Zack was sealed into some unknown world."  
"...And then you lived happily ever after?"  
"No. The villagers came out, and saw that Zack was sealed once again. But instead of being happy, they were rather angry-Angry at me for starting this whole chaos. They chased me out of the village, shouting at me to never go back to that place. Since then, I became a wanderer, drifting from one place to another, not having a true home. About five years past before I remembered about the words Lien said to me before we departed. About me being a Hylian."  
"...So you came to Hyrule, and ended up here."  
"...I'm born with no luck. I'll never be able to be happy and live in peace. There's always chaos around me."  
"No, not this time. This time, you are extremely lucky that you've gotten away with only the sealing of your magic spells."  
"Yeah... Right." Raine sighed as she rolled her eyes. Then she heard footsteps.  
"Hiya Zelda." Link said as he turned to face the newcomer.  
"How's the girl?" Zelda asked in reply.  
"We've been talking about stuff." Link said. "Do you want to join the conversation?"  
"How about we have the chatting in the guest room?" Zelda asked back as she held up the dungeon keys.

Once the trio sat down in their own chairs, Raine told the Sage of Wisdom about her past-how she had no luck, and how she was strangely lucky enough to defeat her enemy in the village she used to live in.

"You don't get any luck for defeating your enemy." Zelda told her new friend. "Your skills helped you."  
"Uh huh." Raine replied as she sipped on her tea.  
"Zel..." Link whispered at Zelda. "Shouldn't we tell her about what we know?"  
"Oh yes." Zelda turned to face Raine. "Um, before I tell you important matters, can you tell me your name?"  
Raine stayed silent for a while. Can she trust the Queen? Even if she is a friend of Link, Raine had some doubts.  
"My name is... Mei." Raine told Zelda.  
"Mei... I see. Thank you." Zelda had a glimpse that Raine was not telling the truth, but she decided not to get into the subject.  
"Mei, what we are going to tell you now might be bring nightmares to you..."  
"Go on..."  
"First of all, let us tell you the man you've met. No, not your enemy, but the other man who was with him."  
"That red-haired guy?"  
"Yes. In fact, he is the man we sealed a year ago."  
Raine couldn't believe it. That tall man was Hyrule's nightmare, and she had let him walk away with Zack!  
"This is not good... Not good at all... Why was I so foolish to easily get cursed?" Raine muttered.  
"But there's still hope. I'm go to the six temples in Hyrule, and ask the sages what to do." Link told Raine. "_If_ you want to come, I guess you can come too."  
"I think you'd be better off without me."  
"Link, I need to tell you something." Zelda said as she got up.  
Without saying, Link got up and exited the room after Zelda.

"Do you think we should tell her now?" Zelda asked Link.  
Link shrugged. "I don't know. Mei doesn't show her feelings that much."  
"Mei... I wonder if that's her real name." Zelda wondered out loud.  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
"It seemed that she was lying. But, I wasn't sure, since she's kind of used to lying; maybe it's because of her past."  
"Hmm, maybe so."  
Then they heard some talking from inside the room.

"Zane, you can come out now." Raine said. A flame appeared out of nowhere, and when it died, the three-tailed fox was standing beside Raine. It sat down, as if he was tired.  
"You know, Zane, I wonder if I should trust them? Well I don't know about Link, but Zelda... I don't know her."  
Zane looked at Raine, tilting his head.  
"He looks familiar... Before I was taken away... I've seen him somewhere in Hyrule..." Without saying any further, Raine stood up. A fragment of memory flashed in her mind.  
Silently, Raine edged toward the window. When she was about a yard away, she ran toward it, jumping through the glass. Zane, of course, followed after.

Suddenly, Link and Zelda heard a loud _crash_. They burst into the room, seeing a glimpse of a tail. Link went up to the window, just in time to see the cloaked figure on a large fox dash toward Kokiri Forest.  
'Why is she heading towards Kokiri Forest?' Link thought.  
"Where's Mei?" Zelda  
"Went to Kokiri Forest." Link replied. "I'm going off to get her back."  
"Yes, it's too dangerous for her to be out there alone."  
"But before, do you have a pair of daggers with long skinny blades?"  
"Yes... But what are you going to do with them?"  
"She's not armed."  


'That forest... That's where I saw him!' Raine thought as she held onto Zane's long fur as the fox raced towards Kokiri Forest.  
At the entrance, Raine forced him to stay.  
"Sorry, but the little kids are gonna get scared. Hmm, if you were smaller..."  
Zane looked down in sorrow.  
"It's ok. Just wait until I come out, ok?"  


Raine thought the forest would be as what she thought it would be from her fragment of her memory: in peace. But what she saw brought terror and rage into her eyes. This forest was the place where she grew up for five years. Only five years, but this was the place where Raine thought as "home"...as for now. What she saw was Moblins standing everywhere. The poor Kokiri children were locked up inside, too afraid to come out.  
'These guys are definitely soldiers of that guy called Ganondork...' Raine raised an eyebrow. 'Was that his name? Oh well.' Then a scream cut Raine off from her thoughts. Raine turned to see a green-haired girl get caught by a Moblin.  


"Lemme go!" The girl shouted at the Moblin as she tried to force herself away from the monster. Then suddenly, a figure came up from the side, ramming itself into the monster. The monster lost its balance, and was sent into a nearest house.  
"Are you okay?" The figure asked as she knelt down in front of the girl, taking off her hood, revealing her red eyes and tied up black/red hair.  


Raine figured that the green-haired girl was Saria, but just to make sure,  
"What's your name?" Raine asked. Then she added, "My name's Ra...I mean Mei," as she thought, 'Man... I need to get used to my new name.'  
"Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Saria." Saria thanked Raine. "May I ask, why are you here?"  
"Umm..." Raine looked around at her surroundings. "To rescue you guys?"  
"Why thank you! Ganondorf and his friend went into the Forest Temple. You can go there by going through the Lost Woods. But please be careful: Ganondorf's evil soldiers are lurking every—watch out!"  
Before she knew what was about to happen, Raine was stabbed from the back. Raine stood in front of Saria and defended herself from the attacks.  
'So much of _my_ 'luck'...' Raine thought.  


Link came to the entrance and saw the fox curled up, sleeping, waiting for "Mei" to come back. Link slowed Epona down and stopped before the creature. Link dismounted from Epona and knelt in front of the sleeping fox and smiled to himself.  
"Epona, wait here, ok?" Link told the mare before heading inside the forest.  
Once he was inside, he instantly knew something was wrong: there were Moblins everywhere!  
'Ganondorf...' Link thought angrily as he drew out the Master Sword. He ran up to the nearest Moblin and before the monster knew what came up to him, Link slashed the sword at the Moblin's stomach. The Moblin fell to the ground, breathing his last breath.  
'I need to find Saria...' Link thought as he looked around. Then Link saw two figures. One was Saria, and the other was "Mei". The two were trapped, surrounded by three Moblins. "Mei" was protecting Saria, also trying to defend herself at the same time, but being unsuccessful. Link got out the daggers Zelda gave him and threw them at "Mei"'s direction.  


'I can't die here!' Raine thought as she fought off the Moblins with a stick. 'I can't die here! Not with that Nightmare lurking around in my homeland!'  
"Link!" Saria called out. Raine looked in the same direction and saw Link throw something at her. One of the Moblins saw this as a chance and swung his spear at Raine. Raine got hit at her head and fell down to the ground. But Raine regained her ground by landing on the ground on her feet by doing a backflip; and at the same time, Raine caught the daggers by their hilts.  
"Nice catch." Link said as he grinned at Raine.  
"Nice save." Raine replied as she smiled back. Then they both turned and faced the Moblins. More had gathered, and now there were about ten.  
"I can handle all of them." Raine told Link.  
"Yeah? Then why were you losing right then?"  
"Hey, I didn't have a weapon!"  
Their argument was interrupted by an attack from an annoyed Moblin. Link blocked the attack with his sword as Raine dodged. She dashed into the crowd, slashing at random Moblins. Link first finished off his enemy, and then gazed at the warrior; Raine's face was calm as she slashed away in her dancing attack.  
'She's a good dancer.'  
Within minutes, the nine standing Moblins were all lying dead in a big puddle of blood.  
Raine came up to the bewildered Hero of Time.  
"Why'd you come here...?" Raine asked in a weak voice. Link blinked a couple of times, breaking his trance.  
"Wh-what?"  
"Nothing..." Raine mumbled. Link saw that Raine had a hard time trying to stand.  
"...You okay?"  
"Ugh..." Raine groaned as she fall unconscious. Lucky, Raine fell into Link's arms.  
"It's because of the damage she received... And she was forced to 'dance'... Just to protect her 'home place'." Link heard Saria sigh.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Let's bring her to my house. I'll tell you the rest there." Saria said as she started her way toward her house.  


**Yes, I just had to stop here—just a little break, all right? Chapter five's gonna be up as soon as I can finish it. If you think the story can be improved, please review! I've been saying that for every chapter, but not a lot of people reviews! _;;**


	5. The Battle Against the Stalfos

**Disclaimers: Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto-san own Zelda: OoT chars. I own new ones.**

Chapter Five: The Battle Against the Stalfos

"It's been hours..." Link muttered.  
"A curse has been put on her," Saria said, "which seals her magical abilities and slows down her recovery. There's also something else, but I don't know what it is though."  
Link just sighed.  
"You can go to the Forest Temple. A few hours before the Moblins appeared, I saw a weird-looking sword in the temple."  
"Weird-looking sword?" Link repeated.  
"Yes... Maybe it's Raine's." Saria said, looking down at the sleeping girl.  
"Who?"  
"Her." Saria pointed at Raine. "Mei is a name she made up."  
"But then, how'd you know that her name's Raine?"  
"Don't you remember when some people came and took her away when she was five?"  
A fragment of his old memory appeared in Link's mind. A girl wearing Kokiri clothes being taken away by a group of grown-ups. Link just stood here, watching the crying girl get carried off. The girl's hair was black with natural red streaks on her banks and a strand of hair near her ears.  
"Oh, so that's why she looks familiar."

Raine found herself in a large room of a Temple. Long veins hugged the old walls. There were three stairs going to three different places, along with corridors in between three stairs leading to some other place. In the center of the room, she saw four torch-like statues forming a square. Each flames on the torches were different colors, matching the torches' colors that were unique from each other.  
As Raine started her way toward the center, she saw four Poes appear. The flames immediately drifted to the Poes' torches, and as soon as the flames lit the torches, the Poes disappeared, leaving Raine in a dark room. Raine just shrugged to herself and started wondered around the temple. She went through one of the corridors, since a huge block blocked one of them. Raine came out into a place what looked like outside. A piece of land was separated by water. One the small island Raine saw a figure standing, looking straight back at her.  
'That person looks familiar...' Raine thought as she squinted her eyes. Then her eyes opened wide with terror; it was Zack!

Raine woke up with a startle. She sat up and winced from the pain from her side.  
"Oh you're finally awake!" A relieved voice was heard. Raine turned and saw Saria. "Raine, how are you feeling?"  
"You... Remember me?" Raine managed to ask.  
"Of course I do, dear friend." Saria smiled.  
Raine sighed. "I was hoping a little bit that you would've forgotten about me." Raine said softly.  
"Why?"  
"...Because I'm nothing but a chaos bringer." Raine replied.  
"No you're not!" Saria said with disappointment in her voice. "You tried your best to cheer me up whenever I was feeling down! Don't you remember those times?"  
"Well, yeah, but-"  
"You've changed a lot, Raine." Saria said as she smiled. "I'm glad we've got to meet again."  
Raine was surprised by her Kokiri friend's words. No one had ever said that in her life.  
"Thanks." Raine said as she smiled; for the first time, Raine smiled from her heart.  
"That's the Raine _I_ know!" Saria laughed as she slapped Raine's back with her small hand.  
"Say, where's Link?" Raine said, changing the subject.  
"Link went to see the Deku Sprout."  
"'Sprout'?! You don't mean..." Raine couldn't say the rest of the words.  
"Yes, the Deku Tree died eight years ago, by the curse of Ganondorf's." Saria said sadly.  
"Oh... I'll visit the Deku Sprout... I can, right?" Raine asked.  
"Sure. He would be delighted to meet you!"

"Long time, no see." Link said as he knelt before the Deku Sprout. The Deku Sprout was more of like a young tree, about the same height as Link.  
"It's only an year!" The Deku Sprout chuckled. Then he saw the worry in Link's blue eyes. "Is there something that you want to tell me?"  
"Nah." Link smiled; the worry disappeared from his eyes.  
"Hmm, okay."  
Link noticed that there was a figure standing behind him. Link turned to see Raine.  
"Hey, Mei! Err, I mean Raine." Link said as he smiled.  
"You know my name too?!" Raine took a step back. Then she noticed the Deku Sprout growing in front of the long-dead Deku Tree. Raine bowed at the Sprout.  
"Ah, you must be Raine! Come close to me." The Deku Sprout called out at Raine. Raine silently went up to the sprout and knelt down beside Link.  
"I'm terribly sorry! This must be my fault..." Raine said as she looked down at the ground.  
"No, no, it's not your fault, Raine." The Deku Sprout said. "It was all Ganondorf's fault. You were fortunate enough to be not here at the time Ganondorf appeared."  
Raine stayed silent, staring at the ground.  
"I'm really glad that I've gotten to know you." The Deku Sprout said, with happiness in his voice. This made Raine look up at the Sprout.  
"I really am! I have heard stories from Saria. You're a great friend to her."

"So, Why'd you come to Hyrule?" Link asked Raine. The two were sitting at the edge of a small cliff, which was behind the Kokiri Shop.  
"...To find out about my real parents." Raine said.  
"Ah, I see." Link said as he nodded. "A thing I never thought about."  
"I still can't believe you're a Hylian, not a Kokiri."  
"Same to you. Where's Zane? I thought you had a fairy."  
"My fairy... He disappeared after I left the forest. I miss him... But I have a new partner now." Raine sighed. "Well how about how about _you_, Mr. Fairy-less?"  
"I had a fairy-partner for my quest. But after the battle against Ganondorf, my fairy-friend—her name was Navi—she just left without saying anything."  
"Oh... You know, somehow, we walk in the same path... Somehow..." Raine said.  
"Yeah... Hmm, so you named your companion Zane?"  
"Yup. He's actually from a species called FireFoxes. They're large foxes, twice the size of normal foxes, and they're rarely seen. They live in fires, and travels in wind. You can say that I had some luck to meet one of them. I'm glad that I've met another living thing that went through the same pain as me. Just because Zane was a little smaller and he had one more tail, he was treated rather cruelly. Meeting me might have completely changed his life. You know how the fairy Zane was. He glowed in a different color than everyone else."  
"Yeah... Was it like orange or something?"  
"Yup. Fox Zane had the same fur color... I wonder how he's doing..." Raine looked up at the red sky; it seemed that the sun was setting for the day.  
"So... Is Mido still bullying you?" Raine asked in a worried voice.  
"Nah, not anymore." Link replied.  
"That's good to hear."  
There was a long period of silence. Right then Link thought he should tell Raine about her secret that she didn't even know.  
"Raine, I need to tell you something..." Link started.  
"Hmm?" Raine turned and smiled at Link. "Go ahead, tell me."  
Link was about to say something, but was cut off by a scream. The two jumped down on the Kokiri Shop's roof.  
"Saria!"  
They started their way toward Saria's house.

When the two got to their friend's house, they froze in fear; they saw Zack and Ganondorf, and Zack had Saria in some kind of portal. Saria was trying to break free from the evil man's arms, but was unsuccessful.  
"So we meet again..." Link growled as he drew out the Master Sword. Raine silently drew out her daggers as she glared daggers at Zack, who just snickered back at her.  
"Yes... But this time, you won't defeat me!" Ganondorf roared with laughter. Zack raised his hand at Link. But when he cast his curse at Link, Raine shoved him, making him off his guard. Before Zack can change the direction, purple mist surrounded Raine, which disappeared after a few seconds.  
Zack clicked his tongue as he threw something onto the ground before the two warriors can attack. There was a bright flash, and when the surrounding reappeared, the two Evils were gone, along with Saria.  
Link ran up to the place where Zack and Ganondorf had been standing and threw his fist to the ground. Then he turned to face Raine lying on the floor, unconscious.  
Link ran up to Raine and shook her. "Raine. Raine!"  
"H-huh?" Raine slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Link. "What just happened?"  
"You saved me from Zack's attack."  
"Oh... Oh yeah..." Raine glumly looked down.  
"What's wrong?"  
"...Now I can't go with you on your journey. I received Zack's curse...twice..." Raine sighed.

Zack sighed with frustration when they appeared in the Forest Temple.  
"What's wrong?" Ganondorf asked with a quizzical look.  
"I couldn't put the curse on Link... Then it would've been easier for us to take the victory." Zack said in a frustrated voice.  
"I somehow think that the girl's more dangerous than Link." Ganondorf thought out loud.  
"From what you have told me about Link, I believe so too." Zane said. "Now, the real curse will end Raine's life."

"You were planning to come with me?" Link asked.  
"Of course." Raine sighed. "But now..."  
"Why?"  
"The curse, from what I've heard from the old woman, slowly takes over the cursed one's heart as time goes on. When their heart fully blackens, they're reborn as a slave of the one whom put the curse on them... A heartless monster that does whatever the master orders. The weaker their heart is, the faster the heart blackens. Also when the curse strikes you twice; that speeds up the whole process. It's a good thing you didn't get cursed, 'cause you're the only hope." Raine smiled weakly.  
"Don't say that!" Link said angrily. "Don't let some curse make you weak. You're still my friend! I can't fight against those two by myself!"  
"Yeah you can."  
"Maybe if I tell you something, you'll want to come with me." Link said as he crossed his arms across his chest.  
"What?"  
"Saria told me that your weapon's in the Forest Temple."  
"You serious?"  
"She's the Sage of the Forest."  
"Sage of the what?"  
"Sage of the Forest." Link repeated. "Saria's one of the six sages of Hyrule. Well anyways, Saria might be in Forest Temple."  
"Let's go." Raine said as she started her way back toward the Kokiri Shop, toward the Lost Woods.

Raine couldn't believe her eyes; they were at the temple that she was at in her dream!  
Link noticed Raine looking around her surroundings.  
"This is the Forest Temple. I just don't know why they would hide in here." Link told Raine.  
"...Maybe to stop us from getting further. Maybe they cursed all the temples and the sages so they can't seal them." Raine suggested.  
"We'll get them, no matter what." Link said, "Just stop thinking like that or else you won't be able to rescue Saria before the curse goes to work!"  
"Who cares about me. Even if I made it to the end and be able to seal the two evils, no one will think me as a hero, like you, Link."  
"They will, unlike your fellow 'friends'."  
"Yeah right. Ever since that time when they drove me out of the village, I didn't trust anyone. Now just leave me alone. Let me take care of _my_ business."  
Raine walked off, leaving Link at the entrance.

When Raine came into the first room, she expected to see four Poes. And she was right; four Poes were at the lit torches, and shrieked with laughter as they took the flames and disappeared, leaving Raine in the dark room. Raine ran up to the four torches and examined them. They were special torches, and were used for activating something.  
'Hmm, better find those ghosts and get the flames back.' Raine thought as she started her way toward the staircase that was on the opposite side from which she came in.

Link heard the haunted laughter when he was about to step into the Temple.  
'It can't be!' Link thought as he dashed through the corridor. When he came out into the first room, he saw that the flames were gone.  
'This is bad... Real bad...' Link thought as he looked around. 'I better get the Poes...'  
Link started his way toward the corridor on the right side.

As Raine ran up the stairs and came into a hallway, she saw a skull-like bubble floating in the distance. Raine swiftly took out her daggers and dashed toward the bubble. The floating skull noticed the "invader" and rushed at her too; but Raine was faster. She slashed vertically at the bubble, making it crash into the floor, with the flame around it disappearing. The skull jumped around on the ground helplessly; Raine slashed at the skull diagonally with her two daggers, making the skull fall into pieces. Then Raine made her way down the corridor.  
As Raine came into a room, she was disappointed that there was nothing in there. But when she turned to exit the room, she heard a low moan. She whirled around to see a skeleton warrior. The warrior had a sword and a shield with armor on the shoulders. It also wore a little hat, ragged clothes and boots. It had nasty teeth in its nasty jaw, and round red thing glowed in the holes where the eyeballs should have been resting in.  
'A Stalfos?!' Raine thought as she grabbed for her daggers.  
The Stalfos leaped at Raine and brought his sword down, but missed Raine by inches. Raine rolled away, just in time to send a kick at the skeleton's back. The Stalfos took a couple steps to get his balance. Raine turned to face the Stalfos and brought her daggers up in front of her. (She held the daggers in a way so that the blades pointed down.)  
Right then, Raine heard another moan.  
'Another one?!' Raine rolled to the side as another Stalfos pounced at her from the back. The second Stalfos was about to stab the first one in the chest, but the first one blocked the attack with his shield.

Link went through the maze with the blocks, and went through the twisted corridor to where the first Poe lurked. Link stealthily got out his Fairy Bow when he saw the Poe in the picture at the stairs. Link shot an arrow at the picture, landing in the middle. The Poe laughed as it disappeared with the picture. Link went to the stairs and saw the Poe in the picture. He shot another arrow, making a bull's-eye again. Link ran down the stairs and shot the remaining picture. The Poe appeared, and started attacking Link with the torch.  
'Same as before...' Link sighed as he got out his sword and slashed at them until they disappeared; a nearby torch lit up.  
"It's a good thing that I don't need to keep keys this time..." Link laughed to himself as he went through a doorway.  
Link had forgotten that he was to fight three Stalfos in the room after where the first Poe hid; then he heard clashing down below. He ran up to the hole in the middle of the room and looked down. He saw Raine easily dodging the attacks from the Stalfos and attacked their skinless body whenever she had the chance with her dancing technique.  
'Wait, that means...' Link trailed off as he heard moans coming from behind him. Link whirled around as he got his sword and his shield out, just in time to block one of the attacks from one of the Stalfos. This time, stead of two at a time, there were three Stalfos.  
Link cursed under his breath as he battered away the three Stalfos to not let them advance. But he had made a terrible mistake; he was also backing away, toward the hole. He realized his mistake when he fell through the hole.

Raine was backing away to the center of the room, blocking the strikes from the Stalfos. She was doing pretty well until something fell from the hole above.  
Raine fell on her stomach, with something heavy landed on her back. Raine yelled in pain and turned her head to see what fell on her: it was Link.  
"Get...off...of me!" Raine growled.  
"Oops, sorry." Link said as he quickly got up. He lowered his hand to help Raine up.  
"Hey get out of the way!" Raine yelled at Link. Two Stalfos came up from behind him and tried to attack. Link rolled away, leaving the two monsters slashing the air. Raine forward-rolled away from the two Stalfos and turned towards her two enemies.

Link swiftly got up and turned to the two Stalfos too. He sneaked up on them, and was about to attack when the three Stalfos came down from above.  
"Ah, damnit..." Link sighed with frustration as he jumped away from the three new enemies.

'Why didn't he finish off those three Stalfos?' Raine thought as she dodged an attack. 'Is he _really_ the Hero of Time?'  
A Stalfos growled as he jumped back from Raine's attack. Then, as soon as his feet touched the ground, he jumped up into the air and came down at Raine. Raine quickly looked around; but she was trapped.  
'Aww man... If my magic wasn't sealed...' Raine thought.  
One of the Stalfos saw this as a chance to attack the young warrior. He thrust his sword, attempting to cut Raine's side. Raine saw the skeleton's mistake; she dodged the attack, and back-flipped out of the cornered spot.

Link then remembered how he had defeated the Stalfos; he got out a few Deku Nuts and left them on the floor for Raine to use if she notice it. Link got out his Longshot and shot at one of the Stalfos that was facing Raine. The Stalfos was stunned; Link ran up to the skeleton and slashed at the stunned skeleton repeatedly. The Stalfos collapsed to the ground, dissolving back into the earth.

Raine saw Link's action, and this brought an idea to her mind. She ran to the Deku Nuts and grabbed them. She threw one on to the floor, making a bright flash, stunning some of the Stalfos. Raine dashed up to one of the stunned warriors and repeatedly slashed at the skeleton. Link went up to another stunned skeleton and defeated it. They repeated this routine until all the Stalfos where gone.  
Link panted as he went up to Raine, who was kneeling down, with the daggers lying on the floor.  
"What's wrong?" Link asked between breaths.  
"I can't... Move myself..." Raine managed to say. It looked like as if something else was controlling her, and Raine was fighting against it, keeping her own hands away from the weapons.  
"Ugh... The curse." Link mumbled as he slapped his forehead.  
"Link, kill me before I kill you." Raine said...  


**Ugh, yes I just had to quit writing here. Five pages! _;; Please don't kill me.**


	6. Raine’s True Self

**Disclaimers: Yes, for the sixth time... The Nintendo company and Shigeru Miyamoto-san own Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I own new chars.**

Note: "~*~*~*~*~*~" is scene change.

Chapter Six: Raine's True Self

"Wh-What? How can I do that to a friend? There must be a way!" Link shouted.  
"If you don't want to kill me, just get out of this place...now." Raine growled.  
_"Yes, kill her, Link. Kill her, or else you'll end up as a spirit. Heh heh..."_ A voice was heard. Link looked around the room, but did not see anyone.  
_"Kill Raine if you want to survive."_ The voice laughed.  
Link growled angrily. He knew who the owner of the voice was; no, it wasn't Ganondorf, but the other man—Zack.  
_"Hurry up, or else Raine's dark side's going to kill you!"_ Zack roared with laughter as his voice faded away.  
Link narrowed his eyes into a glare.  
"He's worse than Ganondorf."  
Then he saw Raine get up and collect her daggers from the corner of his eye. Link sighed as he slowly turned and drew out his sword. Raine was in her fighting stance; her eyes were light-less black.  
'Why... Why, why, why, why, why?' Link thought angrily as he got into his blocking position. 'Do I really have to kill her?'  
Raine dashed at Link, slashing at his stomach with her dancing-technique. Link blocked her attacks, and tried to give her some damage, only to stab the air. Link was about to attack when he saw a glimpse of Raine's black eyes full with tears.

Raine couldn't believe it; the curse was already taking control of her body. All she could do was to watch what she was doing; it felt as if she was a puppet.  
'If I was a lot stronger...' Raine thought as her eyes filled with tears.

"Raine!" Link yelled at Raine after he got some distance from his friend by doing back-flips. "Keep yourself together! You're a lot stronger than you think; break free!"  
Hearing him say this, Raine stopped advancing toward Link.

'I don't want to kill Link... I don't care what happens to me—just don't make me kill him!' Raine screamed in her thoughts. She knew she didn't deserve this kind of ending. All she wanted was peace...

Raine dropped to her knees, dropping the daggers. The black eyes changed back into red as she blinked.  
"L-Link...?" Raine managed to say before she blacked out.

Link ran over to Raine and caught her from falling. He silently picked Raine up and exited the Temple.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Zelda sighed as she came out of the room.  
"So, how is she?" Link asked. The two were out in the hallway, talking in front of the room in which Raine slept.  
"She's alright." Zelda replied.  
"What about the curse?"  
Link had already told Zelda about the curse Raine had received from Zack.  
"There is no cure for the curse." Zelda said as she sighed.  
Link sighed also.  
"It appears to me that she is a Hylian... Dressed in foreign clothes." Zelda said.  
"She is."  
"How do you know?"  
"She was raised by the Deku Tree like me. But when she turned five, she was taken away." Link told his friend. "Well, maybe you should ask her about it."  
Link then saw the three-tailed fox coming up from the hallway.  
"How did he-?!" Link started, but did not finish. The fox whimpered as he scratched at the door. Zelda smiled softly as she opened the door for the fox to come in.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Raine opened her eyes and saw that she was in a room, lying on a bed. So she hadn't killed Link. But the curse will never be cured.  
Raine turned to the side and saw Zane looking at her.  
"Let's not venture around anymore." Raine told Zane.

Link and Zelda heard Raine talk to the fox. Fortunately, they couldn't hear what exactly Raine was saying.  
"That fox is the only creature she trusts." Zelda said in a sad voice. "I wish I can do something."  
"Heal her wounds, both on the outside and in the inside." Link suggested. "For a while, I doubt that she'll want to get out of this place and go back to the temple."

"Yeah, I know that I have my own quest to do. But with this curse, I doubt that I'll be able to hold a weapon. I just want to live a happy life as any other Hylian." Raine told Zane.  
Zane looked down for a moment and then looked back up.  
"That means I won't be wearing these kind of clothes, tying my hair up, and fighting with daggers."

"I'm going have a little chat with her." Zelda told Link.  
"Sure I'll be hanging around outside with Epona."  
Link started down the hallway as Zelda opened the door.

Raine saw Zelda enter the room.  
"Are you feeling better?" Zelda asked as she smiled.  
"Yes, thank you, you highness." Raine replied. Zelda saw that Raine was not good at speaking politely. At this, Zelda giggled softly.  
"You don't need to push yourself. Just speak freely." Zelda told Raine.  
"Okay..." Raine sat up and patted Zane's head. Zane got up and exited the room.  
"You have a very nice friend." Zelda said.  
"His name's Zane." Raine said as she watched the tails disappear around the corner.  
"Zane...that's a very nice name."  
"I named him after a fairy-friend of mine."  
"Hmm, I see."  
"Umm, Queen Zelda?"  
"Just Zelda, please."  
"Okay... Zelda, will I be able to live in the castle from now on?"  
Zelda was shocked to hear this question coming from a warrior.  
"But...what about your weapon? You quest?"  
"I know I'm not gonna live any longer as my own self. I want to live in peace and die in peace."  
Zelda felt sorry for the young warrior. She had lived in the world of chaos all throughout her life.  
"Sure, I'd be more than glad to have a new friend."  
Raine smiled at Zelda. "Thank you."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Link was in the field that stretched from the castle to the marketplace, sitting on a rock. Epona was munching on the grass behind Link, while Zane saw beside Link. Link was having a conversation with the fox, not sure if he understood Hylian Language.  
Link noticed Zane's ears perk up. Zane stood up and turned to face toward the castle. Link turned around also, and was surprised to see what stood in front of him.  
Raine was in a dress, much more of what Malon, the daughter of Talon, who was the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. She had her necklace dangle, and her hair was down. Zane tilted his head to the side.  
"Why are you all looking at me like that!" Raine said as she turned pink.  
"It's just that... You look so... Different in a dress."  
"You mean weaker?"  
"That wasn't the word I was looking for. You're... pretty."  
"You know I hate being called that way."  
"I know, I know." Link laughed. "So you've decided to live in one place."  
"Yup." Raine came to Link's side and sat down beside him, on the grass. "But I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to be in a dress."  


~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, in the marketplace, a little confusion took place.  
"Queen Zelda is not at the castle right now!" A soldier yelled.  
"Then tell me where she is!" A young man, about the age of eighteen, was arguing with the guard. Apparently, the man was looking for Zelda.  
The man wore somewhat like ninja-style; he wore a black shirt, black pants, and black shoes. He wore an armor-look-alike on his shoulders. He had his weapon strapped to a rope, which he wore it in a way that his weapon went across his back diagonally. The man's long dark brown hair was tied up into a ponytail, and his dark blue eyes glared at the soldier. The man also wore a mask over his nose and mouth, to not reveal his true identity. The man's left Hylian ear had two blue earrings, much like Link's earring. The man also wore a necklace that was similar to Raine's, except that the stone was navy blue, not red.  
"Let me just go to the castle and wait for her there!"  
Fortunately, Zelda was just coming out from the Temple of Time.  
"What's the matter?" Zelda asked the guard and the ninja.  
"Your highness, this man has something to tell you." The guard told Zelda after he took a light bow at the queen.  
Zelda turned to the ninja. "Yes?"  
"The seal of Zack's is broken, is it not?" The ninja asked rather rudely.  
"You! You're talking to the Queen of Hyrule!" The guard snapped at the man. The ninja just shot a glare back at the guard.  
"Please, shut up." The ninja said slowly at the guard. "You're already aching my ears with your tormenting voice."  
The guard was opened his mouth, but decided not to say anything to that comment.  
The ninja turned to face Zelda.  
"I'm terribly sorry for my rudeness." He bowed. "My name is Tien. I am pleased to meet you."  
Zelda returned a bow at Tien.  
"I am pleased to meet you to, sir." She said. "Why don't you come to the castle to discuss about the matter?"  
"More than glad to, your highness."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Do you want a tour around the marketplace?" Link asked Raine.  
"Sure." Raine replied as she smiled. "Let's go Zane."  
Zane got up and was about to start toward Raine, but stopped as he turned to face the pathway that came up from the marketplace. Before Raine can ask a question, the question in her mind was already answered; coming up the road was Zelda, and walking beside her was a figure dressed in ninja-style.  
"What's the matter?" Link asked Raine's question.  
"No, it's nothing. Let's go." Raine said as she turned and smiled at the worried Link.

Tien glanced at Raine's direction, but fortunately, he didn't recognize her.  
"Who is the man in the green?" Tien asked Zelda.  
"He is the Hero of Time."  
"Hero of Time?"  
"Yes. But I believe he would rather be called as Link."  
"I see..."  
Zelda wondered why the ninja didn't ask anything about the girl.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"...And that's the Potion Shop." Link said as he pointed at a building.  
"A potion shop?" Raine asked.  
"Yeah, a potion shop. Potions cure you and restore health." Link explained. They were down at the marketplace, and Obviously, Link was giving Raine a tour. Some of the young men noticed Raine, and they were whispering among themselves. Raine tried her hardest not to be distracted by the perverted men.  
"Ooh, sound's useful."  
"It _is_ useful, when you're stuck in dungeons with nothing else to eat or drink."  
"Cool."  
"Do you want to try the Shooting Gallery?"  
"Shooting Gallery?"  
"You shoot arrows at targets. You wanna try it?"  
"Sure!"  
The two headed inside a building, and was greeted by a muscular, hairy, man.  
"Hey there Link!" The man waved at Link. "Are ya here to raise your score?"  
"Nah. My friend wants to play." Link said.  
"Ah, I see. A 'friend', eh?" The man snickered. Raine narrowed her eyes into a glare at the owner of the building.  
"Yes, a _friend_." Link told the man in a warning voice.  
"Tell you what." The man told Raine, not noticing her death glare. "You can play for free only this time, if you get a good score."  
"Sure. Just hand me the bow and arrows." Raine said gruffly.  
"Just shoot at the rupees that comes across." The man said as he handed a bow and some arrows.  
Raine took the bow and the arrows and stood on the platform.  
"Are you ready?"  
"Ready when you are." Raine said as she swiftly got ready to shoot.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"So Ganondorf's seal is also broken..." Tien thought out loud. He was in the guest room, having a little conference with the Queen.  
"How do you know that?" Zelda narrowed her eyes in suspicion.  
The ninja lifted his necklace up to show the Queen.  
"This necklace shows visions when I am near some kind of evil. It can be used in many ways."  
"I see."  
"I understand that Ganondorf took alliances with Zack."  
"Yes, indeed."  
"And I also understand that there is a new holder of the third Triforce piece."  
"The necklace told you that also?"  
"No." The ninja shook his head. "One of the Great Goddesses of Hyrule came to speak to me in a dream."  
Zelda was bewildered by what the ninja said. Being able to talk to a Goddess was very rare; and them talking about the Triforce was out of reach for ordinary people.  
"The goddess told me that I am to protect the new holder of the Triforce piece without them knowing. Before she disappeared, she had told me that the new holder was someone I know... But I do not know anyone from Hyrule."  
"I see..."

"Another perfect score!" The owner yelled. "Won't that be enough for you?"  
Raine was enjoying the game. Raine also found herself surprised that she was extremely good at archery.  
"Hmm, alright." Raine sighed as she put the bow down.  
"Let's go Link." Raine smiled.  
Link just laughed as he followed Raine out of the room.  
Outside, they saw a group of little kids crowded around Zane. As for Zane, he was extremely annoyed, and was about to pounce at the children.  
"Hey, hey, hey!" Raine shouted. "Can't you see he's annoyed?"  
The children all looked up at Raine.  
"I'm sorry." They said in union.  
"Miss, why don't you play with us?" A girl asked.  
"Sure." Raine said as she smiled. The kids grabbed her hands and pulled her toward the main pathway from the drawbridge to the castle.  
Zane stood behind Link, as if to hide away from the children. Link smiled down at the fox.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I have a guess who has the Triforce piece." Zelda said.  
"That, I do not know." Tien said.  
"She is a friend of Link's." Zelda told the ninja. "She herself do not know about it."  
"It will be better off not knowing for her. But if she resumes to her life as a warrior as you said, then there would be a chance that the Triforce will be activated, and be noticed by Ganondorf. It is unpredictable what action they will take."  
"Yes..."  
"Will you tell me who the guess is?"  
"Her name is Raine."  
As soon as Tien heard the name, a flash of long-lost memory appeared in his mind. A memory of him holding his katana and glaring with anger at the figure in the rain, which stood about a yard away from him...  
"Tien? Are you alright?" Zelda asked in a worried voice.  
Tien blinked, breaking his "trance".  
"Tien?"  
"I'm very sorry." Tien apologized as his answer.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I have to go now..." Raine told the children.  
"Aww..." The children sighed.  
"Let's play another time, okay?" Raine waved at the children as she turned and made her way toward where Link stood.  
"Whew." Raine said as she straightened her dress out.  
"You're popular." Link smiled.  
"I hope the popularness doesn't go to men."  
Right when she said that, a young man, in the twenties, winked at Raine as he passed by.  
"Okay, let's go back." Raine sighed as she rolled her eyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A soldier entered the guest room.  
"Your highness," he took a bow, "Mister Link is here."  
"Let him in."  
After a couple of minutes, Link came in with Raine. Raine took a bow at Zelda before she entered the room.

Link, Zelda, and Tien had a conversation about Tien's life. Link noticed that Raine was unusually quiet, and also saw that his friend was staring—rather glaring—at Tien.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Raine, what's wrong? You weren't yourself when we were talking to Tien." Link asked Raine. The two were in the hallway, leaving Zelda and Tien to continue the conversation. Link too, was a little disturbed by the presence of Tien; it seemed that Zelda had interest in Tien—this was the reason that bothered Link. Yes, Link loved Zelda; but will he ever be able to tell Zelda about his feelings right now? Would Zelda accept his feelings?  
"It's none of your business." Raine said coldly as she turned away.  
"Something happened during your journey... You met him before?"  
"...At a place I stopped to rest right after I was driven out. I can't believe he doesn't remember me."  
"I'll not ask."  
"Thanks."

Instead of continuing the conversation, Zelda and Tien were talking about Raine.  
"So she is the new holder... Are you positively positive?" Tien asked.  
"I am telling you, it is only a guess."  
Tien sighed as he sat back.  
"For now, don't let her find out that she has the piece." Zelda told Tien. "Any damage given to her might make the Triforce of Power become active."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"...I just don't know how I got into this mess..." Raine sighed as she looked up at the blue sky. The two had wandered out into the courtyard, and they were sitting on a bench.  
"Me either." Link agreed.  
"Wherever I go, there's always chaos following me." Raine gazed at the floating cloud, which was moving slowly toward her right. "Why won't the evil leave me alone?"  
"...Maybe they want you to be dead because they're afraid of you." Link answered; he knew this from his great adventure to rescue Hyrule from the wicked hands of Ganondorf's—evil spirits chased after wherever Link went, and they haunted both the great land and the Hero of Time.  
"...But why? I don't have any special skills or anything... Unlike you, Link, Hero of Time; I'm just a wanderer."  
'Raine I know isn't this weak-hearted...' Link thought sadly as he gazed at Raine.

~*~*~*~*~*~

quot;I want Raine to continue her quest. She and Link are the only beings that can defeat Ganondorf and Zack..." Zelda thought out loud.  
Tien stayed silent. He wasn't really listening to the Queen talk. Tien was preoccupied with a fragment of memory he had lost years ago...

__

"You Traitor! You know you're unwelcome to this village. Get out of this place before you bring evil!" Tien shouted at the figure wearing a black cloak. The two were in the rain, drenched from the hailing water. Tien had his katana out, and was glaring at the figure.  
Tien cursed at the figure, and shouted at the figure to go away from his village.  
The figure just stood there, letting the curses and the rain battered down its shoulders.  
Without saying anything, the figure turned and started back toward the direction in which it came from, disappearing into the dark night...

"Tien? Are you alright?" Tien heard Zelda ask.  
Tien blinked a couple of times, and saw Zelda's worried face gazing at Tien.  
"I-I'm sorry." Tien apologized.  
"Maybe you should take a little rest. I will inform Raine about you tomorrow. You can stay in the room next to Raine's." Zelda said.  
"Thank you, your highness." Tien said as he bowed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

'Did he really forget about what he did to me?' Raine thought as she gazed at the blue sky, which was now slowly turning fiery orange. 'I thought I could trust him; that's why I followed him. He's the one who insured my protection. But after a few minutes, he tells me to scram off? How can someone betray another so easily?'  
At this thought, Raine growled softly with anger as she stood up. Link, who was drifting off to sleep, was startled by the sudden action.  
"Sorry, Link. I'm gonna head back to my room." Raine said as she headed inside.  
'It's not her fault to be emotionally disturbed...' Link thought as he sighed. "Maybe I'll have a rest too..."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Was it alright for the two to go back to the castle?" Ganondorf asked Zack.  
"Of course. Even if the curse failed to take control of her body and her heart, Raine cannot escape the fate of death." Zack snickered. "She will do all the work for us without she herself not knowing about it."  
Zack laughed evilly as he turned and faced Saria, who was chained to a wall.  
Saria just glared back at Zack.  
"Ganondorf, what should we do with this sage?" Zack asked.  
"Let her be that way. We will imprison all of the sages in the temples." Ganondorf snickered.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Raine sighed as she opened the door to her room. Another sigh came out of her mouth as she plopped onto the bed. She was about to drift off into her sleep when she heard a snicker at the window.  
Raine sat up as her eyes widened. The figure that sat on the windowsill was her own self in her travelling clothes.  
'Is this a dream?' Raine thought.  
"Yeah, you wish, huh?" The other Raine snickered as she got off the windowsill.  
"This can't be right." Raine said as she shook her head. "There can't be two ME's."  
"Let's say I'm your dark side." Dark Raine said as she laughed. The laugh sent chills up Raine's spine.  
"Yeah, weird, isn't it?" Raine said as she crossed her arms across her chest.  
"But how can you be me?"  
Dark Raine sighed as she shook her head. "If you have given yourself in when you were at the temple, then you would've been better off not seeing your evil side. But I don't mind. I'm rather happy that I'm finally set free."  
"My evil side?" Somehow, Raine wasn't surprised. From all the cruel treatment she had received during the years of being a wanderer, she was beginning to think that she was evil herself.  
"Well, enough chit-chat. It was fun talking to you though..." Dark Raine said as she came up to Raine. Dark Raine placed her index finger on Raine's forehead. White light surrounded Raine, and before Raine can say another word or do anything, Raine melted into a cloud of white mist, which dissolved into Dark Raine's body.

**Yes, another cliffhanger! Cliffhangers always leave you in suspense, and a lot of people hate that. It took a longer time to write this chapter... I had some troubles putting my ideas into words. **


	7. Even Dark Ones Have a Heart

****

Disclaimers: I don't own Zelda—I wish I did.

Chapter Seven: Even Dark Ones Have a Heart

Tien sat up in his bed, sensing evil nearby; was it coming from Raine's room? Tien got out of his bed, taking his weapon with him.

(In case I didn't mention about it in the previous chapter—which I doubt—Tien's weapon is a katana)

When Tien came out into the dark hallway, he saw no one outside. Still, he sensed evil near him.

"Zelda..." A vice called the Queen.  
"Wh-who is it?" Zelda called out.  
"It is I, Nayru." A blue light appeared, which turned into a figure in a dress. "I have urgent news."  
"What is it?"  
"The sages are being captured, being sealed within the temples. Please be careful, Zelda... If the evil captures you, you will surely be killed. Be aware of your surroundings—the one that you might trust the most might have their lives taken." The light faded away, leaving Zelda in darkness.

Zelda woke up—apparently, she had been doing some studying in the book room.  
'I hope Link's okay...' Zelda sighed as she thought about the dream; she got up and exited the room, heading towards Link's room.

"What's wrong?" Link asked a figure, which was standing at the doorway. The two were in Link's room. The figure didn't answer. Instead, a double-bladed sword appeared in their hand.  
Link's eyes widened as the figure brought her weapon to slash him...

Link jerked awake, not wanting to see the continuation of the dream. He was lying on his bed, sweating. He must've been really tired—he didn't even bother to take off his boots.  
There was a knock on the door.  
"Com in." Link said at the door. The door opened, and Raine came into the room.  
"What's wrong, Raine?" Link asked.  
"I have this feeling that something's going to happen..." Raine said. Her unusual grin was covered by the darkness of the night. Link noticed that Raine was wearing her black clothes.  
Raine came over to the bed and sat beside Link.  
"Yeah..." Link replied. He was still troubled by the dream he just had.  
"And don't you just hate it when that something evolves around murder?" As if that was the cue, Raine's double-bladed sword appeared in her hand. She swiftly got up as she swung the sword down at Link.  
"What the-?!" Link got his shield and blocked the attack.

When Zelda was about to knock on the door of Link's room, she heard crashing and banding from inside. She swung the door open just in time to hit Raine in the back. Raine stumbled and turned to face Zelda.  
Zelda backed away, fear in her eyes. This wasn't Raine—her soul was completely black. Pure evil was pouring out from the girl's body—perhaps this was why the place was so dark.  
"Good timing, your highness." Raine snickered. "I can finish you off too."  
"Raine, no!" Link yelled. "Zelda, get away from this place!"  
But Zelda couldn't move; so much amount of evil seemed to freeze her feet like ice—the amount of evil (if you can measure) was greater than Ganondorf's.  
Raine brought her sword up—Link couldn't do anything; he couldn't get out the mess in his room, and he didn't have a bow and arrows or a boomerang.  
Raine as about to swing down her sword at Zelda's head when an object came flying at Raine's hand. The object knocked the sword out of her hand as she yelped. The sword landed with a loud clang. Raine held onto her sprained wrist, glaring at the direction in which the object came flying from.  
Zelda looked to see what the object was—it was a shuriken; it was stuck in the hilt of the sword.  
"Now I know who you are!" Tien's voice was heard. "You're that traveler!"  
"It's too late to realize, you know." Raine replied.  
Tien appeared, standing a yard away from Raine. His pendant of the necklace was glowing blue, and there was a thin line of the same color surrounding his body.  
"Hmm, I see that you still have your necklace." Tien said as he glanced at Raine's chest.  
Raine glared at Tien as she formed a fireball in her hand—she threw it at Tien, but Tien brought his hand up, blasting a shot of water at the fire. Raine growled as a thin line appeared around her body.  
"Raine, wake up! You know that you're being controlled!" Link yelled at Raine.  
Raine turned and glared at Link.  
"Controlled? I'm not controlled by anyone. In fact, this is my true self. That curse Zack put on my unleashed the evil I had inside." Raine snickered.  
'If she has the Triforce of Power, it should be activated.' Zelda thought. She looked at Raine's hands. There was no Triforce mark. This confused Zelda. 'Is she really Raine? Or was our guess incorrect?'  
Link saw the unusualness also. The Triforce of Power had been held by an evil soul for a long time-it wouldn't be any surprise that the Triforce would be activated easily if an evil one holds it.

'This is NOT good...' the "normal" Raine thought. She was sealed deep within the Dark Raine's soul—rather than standing in total darkness, Raine was stuck in a maze.  
'Maybe my other self didn't really want me to be sealed completely...' Raine thought as she looked around.

Tien shot out a blast of water at Raine; Raine dodged the blast and shot a series of fireballs. Tien raised his other hand and blasted water at the fire and Raine. Raine was pushed back, and hit her head hard on the wall.  
Link came out of the room and went over to Zelda.  
"Are you alright?"  
"Y-yes." Zelda was shaking all over. Link had also felt evil coming from Raine when started attacking him. He realized that he was sweating.  
Tien came over to the Queen of Hyrule and the Hero of Time.  
"Are you both alright?" Unlike the other two, Tien was perfectly calm.  
Nods from the two answered.  
Tien sighed with relief as he got up; he went to where Raine lay and picked her up, one arm beneath her legs and the other arm beneath her head.

Before an hour passed, the maze disappeared—Raine then found herself standing in a grassy field. Her dark self stood a yard away, holding the double-bladed sword. Raine gasped in surprise; she almost fell down.  
"Surprised?" Dark Raine snickered. "It seems that Zack trusts me because I'm evil."  
"How do you know that?" Rain asked.  
"See this?" Dark Raine brought up the double-bladed sword in front of her.  
"Oh..." Raine looked down. "So you're evil... What you first did was killing Link and Zelda, right?"  
"Chill! I didn't kill them."  
Raine was confused; wouldn't any evil want to kill the two?  
"Maybe it's because they're your friends." Dark Raine looked away from Raine, gazing up at the sky.  
"They're supporting you, Raine." Dark Raine said. "I will too."  
Raine was still confused.  
"I just met Link and Zelda—I was about to kill them too. They know they're strong enough to kill us—but they didn't. Link didn't even bother reaching for his sword, and Zelda didn't think about casting any magic. I wouldn't even want to kill you; you're me."  
Raine kept silent, not sure what to say. Her emotions were confusing her; was she supposed to be happy or angry with herself right now?  
"Talk to me whenever, wherever you want. I'll always be with you." Dark Raine smiled. "I don't like Zack either. Let's seal him up again, shall we? And before you go, don't worry; I won't do anything like this again—not unless you want me to."  
"You can keep the sword. That's your 'trademark'." Raine said as she smiled back.  
"Thanks."  
The surroundings faded away as Raine closed her eyes.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Zelda asked in a worried voice. The three were in Raine's room, with Raine lying on the bed.  
The three gasped in surprise as they saw Raine's eyes snap open.  
"Wh-where am I?" Raine looked around the room. She saw three pale faces looking down at her.  
"What's wrong with you people?" Raine sat up, looking curiously at the three.  
'The evil spirit disappeared.' Link thought. He turned to face Zelda, who nodded in response.  
"You don't know what you were doing then." Tien said. Raine turned to face Tien, but immediately turned away when she saw his angry eyes.  
"I blacked out, and the next thing I know is you guys in here." Rain lied. She knew what happened; she also knew what the three were thinking—was she an evil spirited person? Will she betray them?

**That's all for this chapter! Yeah, I know it's a little shorter than the other chapters, but oh well. I've kept you waiting for too long. Review, and wait patiently for the next chapter! (Which won't come until like...next month? ^_^;;)**


	8. Continuation of the Legend

****

Disclaimers: I still don't own Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Chapter Eight: Continuation of the Legend

"Damnit!" Zack growled as he paced around in the Shadow temple. Apparently, they had succeeded in sealing Impa in the temple.  
"Failed?" Ganondorf snickered.  
"Her other spirit's independent as her other one. She is hard to bring to our side."  
"How about not wasting any more energy on that girl and finish sealing the sages? With the sages out of our way, Zelda and Link won't be able to defeat us."  
Zack just sighed.

~*~*~

"Are we going yet?" Raine asked impatiently.  
"First we wait for Zelda to come out. It's too dangerous for her to stay in the castle." Link replied.  
"Sorry I took so long." A figure came crossing the drawbridge, coming up to the trio. The figure was dressed in Sheikah clothes, and had his face masked. The figure wore a headwear, which partly covered his blond hair. The red eyes were similar to Raine's. Indeed, the figure was Sheik.  
"Uh, do I know you?" Raine asked. Zane sniffed at the figure.  
"That's Sheik...err, Zelda." Link introduced.  
"Oh."  
"Let's get going, shall we?" Sheik said. Link mounted on Epona with Sheik, while Tien got on Zane with Raine.  
'Why do I get stuck with _him_?' Raine thought as Zane started toward Kokiri Forest.

"Link, go in ahead with Tien." Sheik said. The party was standing in front of the Forest Temple.  
"Err, alright." Link said as he got out his longshot. He fired it at a branch above the platform that let into the Forest Temple — the hook made its target with a "thunk". Link was shot up towards the branch — he released the hook from the branch and landed on the platform.  
Tien threw a rope up toward the platform; its hook grasped the edge. Tien tugged on the rope once to be secure — then he climbed up, pushing off from the side.  
"We'll start looking for Saria." Link shouted down as Tien entered the temple.  
Sheik waved at the green figure before turning to Raine. She saw that Raine was relieved to see the two men depart.  
"Are you uncomfortable being near Tien?" Sheik asked. Even with her muffled voice, Sheik still sounded just like Zelda.  
"Y-Yes... We had a little conflict when we first met, and..." Raine replied, looking down at the grassy forest floor.  
"Is it because he's angry at someone?"  
"That'll be me."  
Sheik shook her head. "I think Tien's angry at himself for whatever thing he did to you"  
"I'm positive that he's angry at me, like everyone else. They all think I'm a traitor. Even you, Your Highness. You're thinking that I'm gonna betray you someday."  
"But I don't sense any evil coming from you right now."  
"That's because I have it locked up...for now."  
To this, Sheik didn't know what to say.

"Should've we have waited for the other two to come up?" Tien asked as he followed Link through a corridor.  
"Sheik had something to tell Raine. I think it's something we shouldn't hear." Link replied.  
The two came out into a room; the room had pillars that went half way up, and it seemed that the room could be turned; there was a ladder going sideways to an exit.  
"Watch out for the Wallmaster." Link told that ninja. "Look at your shadow and—"  
He was cut short by the shadow that grew bigger right beneath him. Link rolled out of the way just in time; a nasty-looking hand came falling down at the space Link had been standing a couple seconds before, narrowly missing Link's hood. Tien and Link both unsheathed their sword/katana and dashed toward the panicked hand.

Raine, Sheik's going to tell you something that I doubt you'd want to here. Dark Raine's voice was heard inside her head.  
'It's something that I shouldn't know until the right time, right?' Raine thought.  
Exactly your point.  
"Raine," Sheik started.  
"—If it's something that no one else should know, I don't want to know...for now."  
"Okay." Sheik said. "Well, let's go find Saria, shall we?" Sheik said. Raine nodded as she jumped up—she landed softly on the platform. Sheik appeared before Raine, and the two entered the Temple.

"Yah!" Tien sliced the Wallmaster. Link sighed with relief as he sat down. Indeed, the monsters in the temple got stronger than the last time he fought them. Tien wiped his sweat from his forehead as he sheathed his katana. He sat down next to Link, leaning against the wall.  
"So, Tien," Link started, "what's with your necklace?"  
"This?" Tien took out his necklace from underneath his shirt and showed it to Link.  
"Yeah."  
"This necklace has been handed down from generation to generation of my family." Tien said. "It's like 'another series' of the Necklace of Sealing."  
"Ah, I see."  
"You have to have at least two of the necklaces to seal evil." Tien continued. "That's how we sealed off Zack to protect our homeland."  
"Is this how you met Raine?"  
"...Unfortunately, yes."  
"'Unfortunately'? You don't like her?"  
"She's a traitor, Link. She can easily earn that title. She'll betray you, Link. And it's no hard task for _her_."  
Link couldn't believe it; from above all people, Raine can easily betray anyone; even people who trusted her the most.  
"So...she betrayed you?" Link asked. He hated to hear the answer, but he needed to make sure.  
"Not in person, but for all the Hylians and the Klanians." Tien replied.  
"'About to'?"  
"Don't say this to anyone else." Tien warned. "Even Queen Zelda; I'm still not sure about it."  
"Is this something about her evil soul?"  
Tien nodded.  
"Raine has two personalities — err...should I say 'hearts'? Perhaps it's because of finding the necklace; a new heart was born deep inside her."  
"Is it really the necklace?"  
"As another necklace holder, I have a feeling it is."  
"Well, as a friend of Raine's, I doubt that's true. Perhaps the necklace is evil — maybe not. But one thing is that Raine carries a lot of conflicts inside her since I've known her. Along with the conflicts, she received harsh treatments from other people. Maybe it's because she couldn't-no, didn't want to-get out all the anger and frustration to the other people."  
"And with the necklace the locked evil poured out. Perhaps that's why we sensed great evil."  
"How can we take out the evil?"  
"Unfortunately, we cannot."

Raine, don't worry. Zack and that Ganondork guy aren't in this temple. Dark Raine's voice rang in Raine's head.  
'Thanks'.  
...I don't trust this Sheik guy.  
'She's-  
-He's a she?!  
'Err, yes...  
That's so cool.  
Uh huh. If it were in Anime, you would've seen a sweat drop appear on Raine's head.  
"What's the matter?" Sheik asked.  
"Err, it's nothing." Raine replied as she smiled. "Oh by the way, we saw Poes the first time we came in. That's a bad sign, is it?"  
"You can say that." Sheik replied.  
A slight movement was seen in the shadows.  
"Who's there?!" Raine shouted. Her eyes narrowed dangerously into a glare as she swiftly got out her daggers.  
A whimper was answered as a small child appeared. Raine lowered her daggers, awestruck of what she saw. There stood a Skull Kid, wearing ragged clothing and a hat. His face was covered by shadows, and only his red beady eyes could be seen.  
"P-Please, don't hurt me!" The Skull Kid whimpered. Raine swiftly sheathed her daggers as she came up to the Skull Kid.  
"It's okay. I won't hurt you." Raine whispered as she knelt down before the child. "A kid like you shouldn't be here."  
"I-I was hiding here when two men came in. One of them held onto Saria when they came in. They went downstairs, and when they came out again, Saria wasn't with them," Skull Kid said, "if that's what you want to know."  
"Thanks for the info. Get back to where your friends are before you get caught." Raine said as she smiled at the Skull Kid. The Skull Kid blushed slightly as he started his way toward the exit.  
"I wonder if Link and Tien are doing alright."  
As the name came out, Raine's smiled turned slightly into a frown. Raine sighed as she started her way toward the nearest door.

"What I am sure is that Raine is hiding something away from us." Tien said. Link just nodded in response.  
"While we're waiting for the other two, tell me more bout the Necklace of Sealing." Link said. To this, Tien thought for a short while.  
"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to." Link said quickly, noticing the thoughtful look on his new friend's face. But to tell the truth, he was curious about it all. He could ask Raine about the necklace, but it seemed that she didn't know anything about it — perhaps she only knew about how to seal what needs to be sealed.  
The other reason that he didn't want to ask Raine was that Raine had her personal problems; he didn't want to bother her until she gets over her depression.  
"It's okay. I would eventually have to tell you, or Queen Zelda when the time comes." Tien said as he chuckled. "And you wouldn't want to ask Raine about it, because she is still naïve about it all."  
"Oh."  
"There is a small continuation of the Legend about the Triforce." Tien started.

~*~*~*~

_After the Triforce was made, the goddesses also made three crystals, which held powers similar to the Triforce: Wisdom, Courage, and Power. The crystals were hidden with the Triforce, but were later discovered by the people. The people feared that the Triforce would do something unfortunate to the world, so the people sealed it deep within the Temple of Time. The three keys that were needed to open the seal--the spiritual stones, were given to the other races in Hyrule: to the Guardian of the Kokiri children, the Kokiri's Emerald, to the Goron tribe, Goron's Ruby, and to the Zora race, the Zora's Sapphire. The three crystals were handed over to the neighboring land, Klania, which accepted with great dignity.  
The Klanians separated into three tribes, each tribe holding one crystal.  
In each tribe, one person held onto the crystal, which were passed down from one generation to another, so that the crystals would be kept secret. It was kept secret until when an evil spirit attacked the land to take the crystals.  
Unfortunately for the evil spirit, the three crystal holders sealed the spirit with the crystals before it can take the treasure.  
Immediately, three temples were built--one in each villages--and sealed the crystals deep within them; one of the crystal holder sealed its crystal with the evil spirit in the temple of its village. The event turned into a legend, and the three villages taught their young ones to not set foot _inside_ the temples._

~*~*~*~

"...So the evil was Zack?" Link asked. A nod from the ninja was returned.  
"Unfortunately, Raine's village was the village which the third crystal holder sealed its crystal with the evil in the temple." Tien sighed.  
"...And you're angry at Raine for what she's done?"  
Silence was the reply.  
"You know she was just a small child when she entered the temple." Link said. He was rather disappointed.  
"Yes, I know." Tien sighed again. "But she still would've known _not_ to step into the temple.."  
"It's no use having your mind in the past. The past is the past; we need to move on in order to live. Our current goal is to defeat Ganondorf and Zack."  
"You're right, Hero of Time." Tien said as he bowed deeply. "I shan't forget those words."  
"You don't need to bow to _me_." Link said, (if it were in anime) with a sweat drop on his head.  
"Hey! There you are!" Raine's voice rang out as Raine and Sheik appeared at the doorway. "Why are you two sitting down there?"  
"We've been waiting for you two." Link replied as he got up. He looked up at Sheik. "We need to talk about something later."  
"Sure." Sheik replied.  
"Link, you went through this temple once, right?" Raine asked as she came up to Link.  
"Uh, yeah."  
"Do you remember where we can find the Poes?"  
"You don't mean Saria's-!"  
"That's where she is. Well from what I've heard from a Skull Kid, that is." Raine said as she shrugged.  
"Hmm, alright." Link said as he got out a map out of nowhere. "We'll need to go up to the second floor, which is where we are right now."  
"...And?" Raine said as she peered in from the side, with Tien also peering at the other side.  
"So, we just need to get to the tower with stairs to get the first Poe." Link said as he pointed at the map. "We'll also need to get a special key to enter the room where Saria is."  
"...And where's that?"  
"This place changed a lot, so I don't know."  
"Aww man!" Raine whined as she slapped her forehead. Sheik smiled from underneath her scarf.  
"Don't worry; we'll gonna have to go through every room in this place, so we'll find it."  
"I wish Zane could've came here..." Raine sighed. "He could've found the key faster than us."  
"So he's good at finding stuff?" Tien asked. Raine was surprised by his voice; there wasn't any anger.  
"Well yeah... But sometimes he just goes off exploring. Once I had to wait for an hour for him to come back."  
"Let's go guys." Link said as he started walking toward the tower.

"If you get too close to the pictures, the Poe disappears. You'll need a bow and arrows to get it out from the pictures." Link explained as he got out his Fairy Bow and some arrows. They were, indeed, in the tower where the first Poe hid.  
Link shot an arrow at the picture at the top of the stairs. The arrow landed on its mark; the Poe snickered as the picture disappeared. Without saying anything, Link went up the stairs to get the remaining pictures.  
"I wonder why the Temples regained their enemies..." Tien wondered out loud.  
"Maybe it's because the seal is broken..." Sheik replied, thinking also.  
"Huh?" Raine responded.  
"When the Sage was awakened, the enemies with the temple was sealed."  
"So when the sage of that temple is sealed again, the enemies came back out?"  
A nod from the Sheikah answered.  
We should go take care of the other Poes. Dark Raine's voice said.  
'Yeah.'  
"I'm gonna go ahead and get the other Poes. So when Link comes back, just go back to the main room, 'k?" Raine said. Without waiting for Tien and Sheik's answers, Raine ran off, heading out the door.

As Raine came out of the tower, she slowed down.  
What's wrong?  
'I have a weird feeling about all this...' Raine thought as she sighed and started walking.  
Zack's planning to cover the land with darkness. When Hyrule's done, no doubt it'll be Klania, since he was sealed there.  
'How can we stop him?'  
If Raine could've seen her other self, she would've seen Dark Raine shrug. We'll have to try our best.

**Hiya peeps! It's been a long time since I last updated... I'm so sorry! Currently, I'm having a Writer's Block... And also, I'm practicing drawing anime-style, and that takes up TONS of time. ^_^;; I'll try getting some bizarre ideas quick so I can get the next chapter up! And sorry for the horrible cliffhanger!**


	9. Personal Conflicts

****

Disclaimers: I wanna own Zelda, but noooooo!! I don't own it! :P

Chapter Nine: Personal Conflicts

Raine! Zack or that Ganondork guy's here! Dark Raine warned. Raine just nodded in response. She slowly took out her daggers as she came out into a fairly large room.  
"So you noticed." Zack appeared at the other side of the room, his sword unsheathed in his hand. Raine glared at Zack; Zack snickered at Raine.  
"Aren't you supposed to be with Ganondorf?" Raine growled.  
"Yes, but Ganondorf said he can handle sealing the last sage. There's no hope now, Raine. You 'good guys' can't beat us. You'll know soon—soon you'll easily betray Link and others." Zack snickered.  
Raine couldn't hold it any longer—she shot out towards Zack, with her daggers ready to strike. Zack grinned as he brought up his sword. With a loud "clang", the blades clashed against each other.  
Raine batted away at Zack—but Zack blocked the attacks successfully.  
"Is that all you got?" Zack snickered.  
He got stronger. Dark Raine said. Magic won't work on him either.  
'And this means trouble.' Raine said as she added to herself, 'Good thing I didn't let Link come with me.' Raine knew she would be killed, or she would be captured and be tortured to death. Torturing a weakling was what Zack loved to do; maybe that was what Zack had in mind: to torture Raine until her dark self comes out.  
'I'm not gonna let that happen. I don't want to betray Link!' Raine thought as she gripped onto her daggers more firmly. She dashed toward Zack, who had his hand out at Raine, and when she was about to strike, Zack blasted a black electric ball at Raine. The electric ball hit hard on Raine's stomach as she flew back, crashing into the wall. Raine was hit hard on the head, knocking her unconscious.

"What was that?!" Link gasped. The three were in the main room, waiting for Raine. Fortunately, they heard the loud blast, close to an explosion.  
Without saying anything, Tien dashed toward the direction the crashing sound came from. Sheik and Link followed behind.

"Raine! Are you alright?" Tien shouted as he ran up to the lying girl. Raine moaned as she slowly got up, rubbing the back of her head with her hand.  
"Who did this to you?" Link asked. There was anger in his voice. "Did Zack do this to you?"  
Raine looked down at the floor as she nodded.  
"But I think he disappeared right when he heard you guys coming this way."  
"We should stick together just in case." Link mumbled.  
"Oh yeah—Zack said that they managed to seal the sages." Raine informed as she got up, making the situation even darker.  
"We should go to Klania to search for the third crystal holder." Tien suggested.  
"What about doing that _after_ we free all the sages?" Raine replied. "We could use their help, you know."  
"So you now think that you're an expert about Hyrule, huh?" Tien growled as he glared.  
"I'm just stating what we can do first to raise the chance to survive." Raine crossed her arms across her chest as she glared back at the ninja.  
Sheik sighed softly as Link smacked his face with his own hand.  
"How about, 'stop the glaring contest and resume with our quest'?" Link suggested. Raine and Tien looked away with a "humph". Link smacked his face again.  
"Let's get going." Sheik said as she started walking. Raine glared daggers at Tien before she followed after Sheik. Tien growled lightly at Raine as he shook his fist threateningly at the back of the black-haired girl.  
Link sighed as he rubbed his temples with his finger.

"Oh, nice shot, Sheik!" Raine cheered as the Poe shrieked as it dissolved. Sheik had thrown a couple needles, and the points had met their targets.  
"Thank you." Sheik replied, bowing lightly.  
"Now to the third Poe..." Tien mumbled. Link nodded.  
"We should hurry up..." Tien mumbled again. Link nodded, watching Raine jump around.  
"Is Raine _that_ immature?" Tien asked.  
Link almost nodded by accident, but instead, he said, "She's like that when she's in a really good mood, or when she's trying to distract her feelings."  
"Oh..."  
"Hey, you two!" Raine called out. "Hurry up!"  
The two men started toward Raine and Sheik, heading towards where the next Poe hid.

"For here, there's a time limit." Link explained as the party entered a large, dimly lit room. "It'll be easier this time, since I'm not the only one solving the puzzle."  
"What do you mean?" Raine asked.  
"Huge blocks appear, and you have to form a picture before the time runs out."  
"What happens if you don't finished by the time-up?"  
"You'll have to do the puzzle all over again."  
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Tien said as he rolled up his sleeves.  
Blocks appeared in the room—blocks with a piece of a picture painted on the side that faced upwards.  
"It's the parts of a picture!" Raine exclaimed. "You have to do this to get the third Poe?!"  
"Uh huh." A nod from the Hero of Time answered. Sheik and Raine stood there, watching the two men push and pull the blocks together. Soon the blocks formed the painting of a green Poe.  
With a wicked laugh, a Poe appeared from the picture. But before it can do anything, Tien threw a shuriken at it. The Poe screamed as it dissolved into the dark air.  
'So far, nothing changed in this place...' Link thought. But his thought was crossed out when he heard a growling noise.  
Raine, there's Stalfos around here! Raine's other self warned. Are you sure you can still fight? Apparently, Raine's arm was inured from the battle against Zack.  
'I'm okay.'  
"More enemies..." Link grumbled as he unsheathed his Master Sword. At the same time, Tien drew out his katana.  
From the shadows, a large group of Stalfos came out—there were about ten. One Stalfos roared as it started running towards the four, with the others right behind.  
I'll take care of them. You just rest. Raine's dark self said.  
But...!  
Don't worry—I won't get your friends. Dark Raine said.

Suddenly, Tien felt something big, slithery, and cold run up his spine. The familiar sensation... Was the darkness coming from Raine? He turned to see Raine with her double-bladed sword in hand.  
"You...!" Tien growled. "Why'd you have to come out right now?!"  
Link turned to see what was going on, and his eyes widened in astonishment...or fear?  
"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Raine scowled. "Link, you better watch your back."  
Link turned around just in time to block a Stalfos's attack. As if that was the signal, Raine dashed into the crowd, slashing here and there. Bones flew out all over the place as Raine slashed though her way. Within minutes, there were bones scattered across the room, which started to dissolve into the ground.  
Tien and Link gapped at the sight as Raine struck her double-bladed sword into the ground. Sheik took a couple steps away from the black-and-red haired girl.  
"Okay, okay! I'll leave!" Raine sighed. The double-bladed sword disappeared as Raine closed her dark-red eyes. After a couple seconds, Raine re-opened her eyes again, fiery redness back in her eyes. She looked around her surroundings, a little confused. But when she saw the shocked faces of her friends and the pile of bones, Raine looked down at the ground, not sure of what to say to the three.  
Sorry Raine. I just had to do that... Raine's other self apologized.  
Link took a step toward Raine, with sadness in his eyes. Before Link can say anything, Raine whirled around and dashed out of the room.  
Raine ran as far as she can go, far away from Link and the others.  
Soon she came to a small room. Realizing how tired she was from crying and running Raine decided to rest a little. Still weeping, Raine sat down in a corner of the room, leaning against the wall. Unfortunately, she didn't notice that there was another creature in the room other than Raine.

"You guys go get the last Poe. I'm gonna go find Raine." Link said as he sheathed his Master Sword.  
"I'm not letting you go buy yourself." Tien said as he sheathed his katana also. "She's not the Raine you remember."  
"We'll see about that." Link mumbled as he started heading out of the room. As for Sheik, she just sighed as she started following Link, along with Tien behind.

'Why does it have to be me?' Raine thought. 'Why does my life have to be so messed up?' Raine wished she could've been born as a normal Hylian. She wished that she didn't have any talents in archery and in daggers and swords. She wished that she didn't know anything about the danger of the world.  
I'm sorry. Raine's other self apologized again.  
'It's all right. It's not your fault. But just leave me alone, okay?'  
Fine. Raine felt something snap, as if the connection to her dark self is broken. Raine sighed as she buried her face into her knees.  
Suddenly, a noise from above made Raine look up. She saw a huge skull with eight legs. What she saw was a skulltula hanging right above her head.  
Raine tried getting up, but she was paralyzed from the skulltula's death gaze.  
'Yeah, just kill me... No one cares...' Raine thought. But when she thought of Link, it brought tears to her eyes.  
'Why am I crying? Is it because I want to see him again? Why do I want to see him?' Raine thought as the skulltula descended down toward Raine's neck.  
'Why did I run away from them? I shouldn't have...then I wouldn't be stuck in this situation...' A tear dropped onto the ground as Raine felt the legs of the skulltula touch her neck. Then she felt drowsy when a sharp pain stung on her neck.  
"Raine!" A familiar voice was heard.  
'Who...is it?' Raine thought; her eyesight was getting blurred already. She saw a green figure throw something at Raine. A second later, she heard something crack behind her. The object the green figure threw returned to its owner before she collapsed.

Link saw Raine collapse to the ground. There was a thin line of blood trickling down Raine's neck.  
"Tien! Raine's here!" Link shouted toward the doorway. Within seconds, the ninja appeared, dashing to where Link and Raine were.  
"What happened?" Tien asked as he made some water balls, which started floating in the air. He took one ball in his hand and slowly squeezed the water out, letting the liquid drip down onto Raine's neck. Link got out a potion and made Raine drink it. Even though Raine was very weak, she managed to drink the potion.  
"What's going on?" Sheik appeared also. She came up to the two, and saw what was going on.  
Sheik knelt down beside Link. "Did you make her drink the potion?"  
Link nodded in response.  
Raine moaned as she slowly opened her eyes.  
"Wh-what happened?"  
"You were bitten by a skulltula." Link replied. "Why'd you run away from us anyway?"  
Raine slowly sat up, holding onto her head with her hand, feeling a little drowsy. "What do you think? I know you all think I'm gonna betray you guys or something, right? Then I shouldn't be with you guys."  
"Why do you think so?" Sheik asked.  
"Maybe because of the dark powers I have inside me." Raine replied as she stood up. "I have a feeling that I _will_ betray you during this quest."  
Before anyone could do anything, Tien got up and slapped Raine across the face. Raine took a couple steps back, not prepared for the attack. She looked to the side as she covered her red cheek with her hand.  
"Why do you always think like that?! Stop being so afraid of yourself! You managed to seal Zack before; you can do it now too! Why are you giving up without trying?!" Tien yelled at Raine. Link and Sheik just gazed at Tien, astonished.  
"You don't know my past... You don't know what happened to me... You don't even understand my feelings!" Raine cried. Tears were pouring down her face. "Have you ever been in a situation where my family was once Sorcerers of Darkness? Have you ever been rejected by the whole village I lived in for eight years?"  
Tien was taken aback with the sudden outburst.  
Raine, calm down. Raine's other self said.  
'This is what I get for locking up my dark powers deep inside; another personality of myself!' Raine screamed at her other self. Raine couldn't take it anymore. Just because she was different from everyone else, she was treated extremely differently, as if she was a hideous creature. Indeed she was; the blood of a Sorcerer of Darkness ran in her blood—no wonder why everyone treated her cruelly from since she remembered.  
Tien was about to say something when Raine turned around and ran out of the room.

Once again, Raine ran as she sobbed. Memories of her past came up in her mind as she ran—horrible memories of herself being kicked, and pushed. But when a different memory came up in her mind, Raine slowed down—not just one, but a series of memories. Yes indeed, they were faint memories of when Raine lived in the Kokiri Forest. The memories of the days when Raine played out in the woods with Saria and Link...memories of when Raine chatted with her fairy, Zane.  
'I wonder how Zane's doing...' Raine thought as she stopped walking.  
"Raine..." A soft voice was heard from behind. Raine turned around to see Tien standing.  
"I-I'm sorry about what I did to you..." Tien said, looking down at the ground.  
"It's ok. I should thank you for what you did." Raine replied as she smiled. "And I think anyone would've done that to wake me up."  
"Don't collapse on yourself like that anymore, okay?" Tien said in a worried voice.  
"I won't. I've finally learned about it today." Raine said. "Let's go back."  
Tien nodded as the two started back.

**Yeay, another chapter! I'm SO sorry for all the lack of updates... I'm trying to raise my grades, so it's hard to finish up my homework after practice... But I've managed to work on my story at school, on binder papers! XD I can only work for a little tiny bit, since I drift off to drawing stuff. ^_^;; I'm happy that there's peeps that actually like my zelda fanfic. I might as well finish it to the end. ^^;; I'm sorry for you whom are confused now... I think you'll get more confused later on, since I'm getting a little confused myself. ^_^;;;**


	10. Apology

  
  


...I'm so sorry for the lack of update. I'm in a MAJOR writer's block for this story right now; I keep on getting ideas for my new story that I'm working on, which I won't be posting until I'm about half way done for the plot, which won't be for a very long time. ^_^;; So, I doubt that I'll be putting up a new chapter for a while. Again, I'm sorry for the lack of update.


	11. Chapter Ten: First Sage Rescued

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Disclaimers: I don't own Zelda.

Sorry for the lack of update! I know it's been an _extremely_ long time since I last updated it. I'm _so sorry_! Well anyway, here's chapter ten. If you forgotten what the heck the story's about, I suggest you take the time to re-read the story over. ^^;;

Chapter Ten: First Sage Rescued

"Finally, the last Poe..." Tien sighed as he looked around the main room.  
"Where is it?" Raine asked as she looked around the room. Three of the four torches were burning; the last torch was still cold.  
Suddenly, the party heard a low-pitched snickering sound.  
"This Poe multiplies itself; be careful!" Link warned as he got out his Fairy Bow; at the same time, Tien got out a coupe shuriken.  
A purple Poe appeared, holding the last fire.  
"I just don't get it. Why does the Poes have to repeat their orders?" Raine mumbled as she sat back and watched the two men shoot at the ghosts. "Are they _that_ stupid?"  
"I doubt it." Sheik replied. "Maybe Ganondorf is testing something."  
"Err... Okay."  
The purple Poe shrieked as it dissolved into thin air. As soon as the four lights returned to the torches, an elevator appeared in the center.

Once the party reached to the bottom, they soon found themselves in a dark, circular room. The party unsheathed their weapons as they looked around the room. Suddenly, a low rumble came from beneath their feet.  
"I hope it's not what I think it is..." Raine mumbled.  
"Is it...?" Tien trailed off; Raine and Tien looked at each other as the rumble began to get loud.  
"Sheik! Link! Watch out!" The two shouted at the Sheikah and the Hero of Time. But before the four can do anything, something huge came blasting out from the middle of the floor, separating the room into two.  
"Ganondorf made these guys to his side?! Damn it..." Raine mumbled as she got into her blocking position.  
He's a forest type. It should be easy for you to beat it. Dark Raine said.

  
'Yeah.' Raine replied, as the blades of her daggers became red. Soon, the blades were in flames. Raine threw one of her daggers at the huge thing; as soon as the dagger's tip touched the skin of the creature, the creature blew up into flames.  
"It's a good thing it's _him_." Tien sighed. The creature was a green dragon with blue eyes and hair.  
"Is he a relative of Volvagia?" Link mumbled as he jumped out of the way to dodge the wild tail.  
"Maybe he is..." Sheik replied as she ducked under the tail.  
Raine dashed toward the dragon, jumping up when she was about a yard away from him. She landed on the dragon's head, an as soon as her feet touched the scaly surface, she stabbed her other dagger.  
"Is she crazy?!" Tien thought out loud, as the whole room was lit up with the flames.  
The dragon swung around, trying to blow out the flames and to swing off the attacker. Raine fought back hard, holding onto the dragon's horns.  
The dragon swung his tail hard on the wall, causing the whole room to shake. Rocks from the ceiling fell down to the four Hylians and the dragon, which made the matters worse for the four adventurers.  
The dragon roared as he continued swinging his head from left to right. Raine held onto the dragon's horn.  
Tien noticed a shadow appear from a corner, dashing toward the dragon.  
"Raine, watch out!" Tien shouted, but it was too late—the shadow hit hard on the back of Raine's neck. Raine was knocked unconscious, and fell off from the dragon, down toward the floor. Link and Tien shot out towards the direction where Raine was falling; but the dragon banged its tail hard on the ground, blocking the two men's way.  
"Shit..." Link mumbled as she bit his lower lip. At the same time, Tien mumbled, "darn it!"  
Raine! Are you alright?! Dark Raine shouted; but there was not reply from Raine.  
Damn... Dark Raine mumbled. She knew Sheik was still not used to her dark powers...but there wasn't any choice left.  
Sheik froze in fear when a new bolt of dark powers shot through her powers. Link noticed her fear.  
"Is it...?"  
Sheik just nodded as she gazed up at Raine.  
A double-bladed sword appeared in Raine's hand as she landed on the dragon's tail. Raine started twirling her sword around as she dashed up the dragon's tail. The blade sliced up the scaly tail, causing the dragon to roar in pain. Link, seeing this as a chance, unsheathed his Master Sword and ran up to the dragon; once he got close to the dragon, he did his spin attack. Tien also got out his katana and also slashed at the tail. Soon the dragon came smashing down to the ground. The three looked at each other as they nodded; they ran up to the head of the dragon and stabbed their three weapons into the head.  
"I only came out to fight this thing, so bye." Dark Raine waved at the three. Before she closed her eyes, Link interrupted.  
"Tell me one thing before you go. Are you Raine?"  
"I am, yet I am not." Dark Raine shrugged. Before anyone else can ask a question, Dark Raine closed her eyes; when she opened her eyes again, Raine was herself again.  
"Seems that my other self came out again..." Raine sighed. "I know you guys can't get used to it, but bear with me; when we go to Klania, I'll find a way to get separate myself from her. Now let's go find Saria and get out of this creepy place."  
"You don't need to worry about me, Raine." Saria said as she came out of the darkness.  
"I thought you were sealed...!"  
"Not after the dragon was killed." Saria replied as she smiled. "I've got rescued again. Thank you so much!"  
"Thank Raine instead of me." Link said as he turned towards Raine, who was kneeling down beside the dead body of the dragon. As for Raine, she was more interested in the body of the dragon. Tien was also at the dead body; he was also looking for something.  
Sheik went up to the ninja.  
"What are you looking for?"  
"These dragons are from where we grew up in. Normally, they wouldn't attack anyone...but something changed them."  
"...And this 'thing' is something that is inserted in the dragon's body?"  
"Klanians are skillful with their hands, and had invented equipment and items that are useful for everyday life." Tien said.  
"But those things were for rich people." Raine said as she came over to Tien. "They had enough money that'll last for lifetime. But you know how people are: they're greedy. They reach for the thing they desire, and once they obtain it, they go for higher. It'll never end if money doesn't run out."  
Raine glanced at Sheik, but decided to say no more; she knew that Sheik wasn't used to the amount of darkness. Raine walked off, continuing to search for the object.  
"As Raine was saying, only the powerful ones were able to live in heaven. But for us, the low-class people, were forced to live in small villages, forced to do work all day long, and weren't allowed to travel. This was before Zack appeared." Tien explained, pausing his search. "When Zack appeared, all changed. To him, it didn't matter if the people were rich or not; they were like any other slaves. Zack enslaved every town throughout the land of Klania. He would've continued on to expanding his territory to the neighboring land; Hyrule if Raine haven't done anything."  
"Couldn't you have done something?" Link asked as he came over. Apparently, he had bid farewell to Saria, and the Sage of the Forest had gone to the Sacred Realm.  
"You lose something from yourself when you break the seal that sealed Zack. For Raine, it was Trust. Raine herself doesn't know that."  
"...Something's bothering me here." Link said as he help up his palm. "Why can't you just kill Zack? Isn't he a human being?"  
"Zack can never be destroyed. He isn't a living thing." Tien stated.  
"...How?" Link asked again.  
"Zack is an evil spirit taking form of a human being. He's made up of the amount of unbalanced evil in the world. The world would have been peaceful if the goddesses haven't made the Triforce and the crystals. All because of the artifacts, creatures and spirits that shouldn't exist exists today."  
"...So you say that because of the Triforce and the crystals, people became greedy, and wanted more power... that's how evil was formed." Sheik thought out loud. Tien nodded in response. He gazed at Raine, who was still looking for the device. She was stabbing into the stomach of the dragon, digging into the scaly flesh. After (seemingly) a few hundred stabbing, Raine dug into the flesh with her hand.  
"There it is!" Raine exclaimed as she got out the device.  
"Stupid thing..." She growled as she stabbed the device with her dagger. The device broke into two as the blade went through the metal. Raine then stepped on the device, grinding the metal into crumbs with her heal.  
"Okay, Raine. You don't need to do that." Link sighed.  
"Let's just get outta here; this place's giving me the creeps." Rain mumbled.  
"We can enter that green light to go back to the entrance to the temple." Link replied as he pointed at the center of the room.  
"Cool!" Raine's attitude changed as she saw the light.  
"She's so immature for her age..." Tien sighed.  
"What?" Raine turned around.  
"Nothing."  
The party went through the light, reappearing at the entrance of the Forest Temple.  
"So where to next?" Raine asked as she looked around. The sky was getting darker; the red of the sunset was turning to navy, the color of early night.  
"We should stay in Kokiri Forest for today." Link sighed.  
"I hope the monsters are gone..." Raine mumbled.  
"You cleaned them, remember?"  
"Okay... Then, 'I hope the monsters' blood's gone'." Raine mumbled. Sheik and Tien laughed silently.  
"Of course not, Raine. Unless it starts raining, the blood's not going to disappear." Tien laughed.  
"Blah." Raine stuck out her tongue as she started heading back toward Kokiri Forest. 

"Ah, comfy bed..." Raine sighed with satisfaction as she lay down on a bed. Sheik laughed as she sat down on a wooden chair.  
"Sheik," Raine started, "are you afraid that I'm going to betray you someday?"  
Sheik blinked a couple of times, not prepared to hear that sort of question.  
"Please answer truthfully. I want to know what you're thinking about me." Raine said.  
"I doubt that _you_ will, Raine." Sheik said. "But I'm unsure if I can trust your other self."  
"...Because she's evil-hearted?"  
"...Yes."  
"I see."  
Well, it's hard to earn trust for any living thing. Dark Raine said.  
'Yeah...'  
"Well, get some sleep. It'll be more tiring tomorrow." Sheik said as she went over to her bed and climbed in. Raine yawned as she pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Do you know how the third crystal holder is?" Link asked Tien. The two men were in their own room, apart from the girls'.  
Tien shook his head. "I've only met Raine. Perhaps the third crystal is inside the third temple, or its holder is too dense to know the crystal is an extremely rare one."  
Link laughed at Tien's comment. "Too dense... Might be. Eheheh..."  
"Either way, what I know is that the third crystal isn't in Hyrule; it's still in Klania... Unless you felt some force pulling you to a certain direction."  
"Force?"  
"Nevermind then."  
"Okay. Well, let's get some rest." Link said as he stretched. Tien nodded as he lay down on the bed.

_"Zelda..."_ Nayru's voice was heard again.  
"Yes?" Zelda opened her eyes slowly, and saw Nayru standing before her.  
_"You must hurry and free all of the sages before the Triforce of Power gets activated."_ There was uneasiness in the tone of Nayru's voice.  
"What happens if it does?" Zelda asked.  
_"If it does, the chance of defeating Ganondorf will get slim. Even if Ganondorf does not have the Triforce piece anymore, he is still able to detect the pieces when it is activated or when they are near him. He will surely find a way to take the pieces from you and Link and the third holder."  
_ "Is the third Triforce holder Raine?" Zelda asked.  
_"That I cannot answer. Din cannot say the secret. Either it is the dark ones, or the three crystal holders. Watch out for any signs that indicate that they have the Triforce piece. One of them will know, but will not speak about it."_ With that said, Nayru disappeared into the darkness.

Sheik opened her eyes, confused about what the heck the goddess of wisdom said in her dream. She sat up in her bed, lost in her thoughts.  
'...Someone who needs the Triforce the most... It _can_ be Raine, but...' Sheik trailed off as she gazed at the sleeping girl.  
"Mmm... I can't eat anymore..." Raine mumbled as she turned around. Sheik scratched her cheek, doubting her thoughts.  
'...Or maybe Tien...and who's the third crystal holder? If the third crystal holder is not in Hyrule, then that can't be it...unless we decide to go to Klania now...'

**Okay, a bit confusing, ne? I needed to cut the chapter short with another horrible cliffhanger, since if I try and put the next chapter together, it's gonna go over five pages... School's coming to an end in about a week. I'm so happy!! It means I have more time to work on my stories! ^_^ Anyway, please review!**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Sealed...Forever?

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Disclaimers: I don't own Zelda. I wish I did.

Chapter Eleven: Sealed...Forever?

"So where to, next?" Raine asked cheerfully as they exited Kokiri Forest.  
"We're gonna go to Kakariko Village, then head on to the Shadow Temple...unless we can split up and let Sheik and myself go to the Fire Temple in Death Mountain." Link replied as he took out his ocarina to play Epona's Song. For a short while, only Link's ocarina rang in the silent morning air. Within seconds, Epona rode up to Link, who patted softly on her head.  
"That is _so_ cool!" Raine squealed as she jumped up and down. Tien scratched his cheek lightly with one finger as a sweat drop appeared on his head.  
"So what do you want to do? Go as one group, or split up?" Link asked, now mounted on Epona. Seeing that Raine wasn't really paying attention, he turned to Tien.  
"I don't mind; which ever way is fine for me." Tien replied as he shrugged.  
"Raine?"  
The read-and-black haired girl stopped jumping around. "If splitting up into two groups lets have less time, then I go for that."  
"Okay. Kakariko Village is just before the Death Mountain." Link said as he pointed towards the mountain with a smoke ring at the top. "We'll meet at Kakariko Village after we clean the temples out. How about that?"  
"Sounds fine to me." Raine replied. "See ya later!"  
Link gave a light wave at Raine and Tien as Sheik swiftly mounted onto Epona. Link gave a light kick, signaling the mare to start.  
After Link and Sheik started, Raine put her fingers to her mouth, and made a high whistling sound, which rang in the morning air, just like how the ocarina did. Almost immediately, a rather large fireball appeared in front of the group, changing into Zane.  
"Okay, Tien. Let's go too." Raine said as she mounted onto the three-tailed fire-fox. Tien shrugged lightly as he mounted behind Raine.

"This is our chance to kill them, Ganondorf." Zack snickered. Unfortunately for the heroes, the bad guys were watching from the shadows.  
"I'll go get the two on the horse. You get the other two."  
"No need to say." Zack snickered again as he disappeared into the darkness. Ganondorf kicked hard on his black stallion and started off.

"Epona? What's wrong?" Link asked worriedly as he noticed the restlessness of the mare. Epona whined uneasily in reply.  
"Link! Look up ahead!" Sheik gasped as she pointed toward the front. Link looked up, and his eyes widened as he saw a black figure on a black horse.  
"It...It can't be..." Link mumbled.  
"...The other enemy isn't here." Sheik informed. "This might be our chance to reseal him again."  
"Without the sage's help?"  
"Well what other choice do we have?"  
"...Kill him." Link pulled on the reins, slowing the mare down to a stop. Link got off, followed by Sheik and started toward the figure in black. The figure mounted off his stallion also, and unsheathed his sword as he started toward the two; at the same time, Link drew out the Master Sword. When they were about a yard away, the two bashed towards each other: at their point of meeting, the two blades clashed together. Link gritted his teeth as he held his ground while Ganondorf had his evil smile on his face. But his evil smile was knocked off temporally by Sheik's kick. Ganondorf whirled around and blasted an electric ball at the Sheikah, only to hit the grass. Link took this opportunity to slash at the Gerudo King—but he only managed to slice a little of Ganondorf's cape. Link immediately jumped away from Ganondorf, dodging the swing of the deadly blade that was about to remove his head from his neck.

"Don't tell me that we have to face the boss _now_." Raine mumbled as Zane slowed down. Up ahead of the three, a figure was floating in midair, about a couple feet off the ground. Zane growled as the two Hylians got off.  
Let me take care of him. Raine's other self said.  
'Okay.'  
Raine's eyes turned darker as a double-bladed sword appeared in her hand. Tien drew out his katana as the figure slowly landed on the grassy floor.  
"I'm guessing that you got all of the sages." Raine said as she crossed her arms across her chest.  
"Apparently, no." Zack replied, snickering. "You freed a sage, and the Spirit Sage already fled."  
"Ha, you think you can destroy us both? You know we can seal you right this instant." Tien narrowed his eyes. 'Funny. If he knew that he'd be sealed again, why would he come after us?'  
"You can try, if you want." Zack snickered.  
'He's up to something.' Tien thought. He turned to face Raine, who just gazed at her enemy with her dark eyes. 'We don't even know what the stones can do... This might be too risky, if what I heard about the stones are true.'

(Author's Note: I'll talk more about the stones later. :P)

'Just as I thought; Raine's evil self came out—excellent.' Zack grinned as he drew out his sword. 'I'll just play around for a while until its time.'  
As Zack drew out his sword, Raine and Tien both got into their positions, both ready to attack and to block. Zack shot out towards the two; at the same instant, Raine and Tien dashed towards their enemy. At their point of meeting, Raine slashed at Zack first, but Zack jumped away. Before he can counter the first attack, Zack ran straight into Tien's slashing. Zack managed to block Tien's attacks with his sword, but was only to receive the bashing on his side from Raine. Zack staggered a bit, but was able to recover quickly to dodge Tien's attack. Tien skidded to a stop, swiftly turned around, and crouched down, ready to attack.  
'Hmm, they're being a little cautious.' Zack thought. 'Fine then.' Zack blasted a ray of purplish energy at his enemies, but only to shoot through the air.  
"Tch." Zack clicked his tongue.

Link skidded to a stop after slashing Ganondorf's side. The Gerudo King clutched his side as he growled and glared at the Hero of Time. Ignoring the pain, Ganondorf dashed after Link and swung his sword, which was blocked by Link's own blade. Sheik appeared at Ganondorf's side and kicked hard on the wound. Ganondorf clenched his teeth as he jumped away from his enemies to gain some ground.  
'If we can hold this up, we might be able to defeat Ganondorf...' Link thought as he tightened his grip on the Master Sword. With a shout, Link dashed toward Ganondorf, who was also dashing toward him. The blades clashed into each other at the two's point of meeting, reflecting the sunlight at the sudden movement. Ganondorf tried pushing Link off his feet, but Link pushed off from Ganondorf; as soon as his feet touched the ground, Link did his customary attack: the spin attack. Normally, any creature anywhere in or near the blade length, they would be beheaded. Normally, that is. Ganondorf jumped away just in time; knowing the usual routine, Ganondorf snickered as he lunged at Link when he was about to recover. But just before he thought his victory was sure, Sheik appeared out of nowhere and tackled the Gerudo King at the side of the wound, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.  
"Thanks Sheik." Link said as he blew out some hair strands from his eyes.  
"Uh huh." Sheik replied, her red eyes not leaving from the body of the Gerudo King.

"Yaah!" Raine yelled as she attempted to slice Zack in half, only to slice the air. Zack appeared in back of the feminine warrior; he was about to attack when Raine whirled around to behead the Evil Spirit. Zack blocked the attack with his sword, and tried to knock Raine's double-bladed sword from her hand. Raine tightened her grip on her weapon, which made the blades of the double-bladed sword be enveloped into flames. Zack pushed away from his enemy, avoiding the flames, but only to run into Tien, who was ready to attack. Zack jumped away to dodge Tien's attack, blasting a dark energy ball at the ninja. Tien knocked the energy ball off course with his katana, dashed forward at the Evil Spirit, and attempted to strike at him, only to slice the air. Zack appeared at the side of Tien, but before he can attack the vulnerable warrior, Raine attacked him. Raine managed to give a gash on Zack's arm; the wound bled, along with burnt marks surrounding the cut. Zack growled as he shot a series of energy ball at Raine, who easily dodged the attacks.  
"A little hard for two-on-one, eh?" Raine snickered as she swiftly got into her ready-to-attack position.  
"So you never realized it." Zack snickered back. He let the blood flow out; there was already a puddle of blood on the ground below his arm.  
"What?" Raine narrowed her eyes.  
"This is just a trap for you two to fall into. All we're here is to get the last sage."  
'Damn it...' Raine thought as she gritted her teeth. 'I shouldn't be fighting this idiot right now!'  
"By now, the last sage is captured and the Hero of Time is defeated." Zack continued, eyeing at Raine from the corner of his eye. Raine's eyes widened; Zack grinned as he saw a glimpse of fear and anger in her dark eyes.  
"...And I have some of my personal business to take care of also." Zack said as he narrowed his eyes at Raine.  
'L-Link...? No...it can't be...' Raine thought.  
Zack snickered as he raised his hand to cast an attack.  
"Raine!" Tien swiftly sheathed his katana and dashed toward Raine, and pushed her off to avoid the attack. Tien immediately got up, and unsheathed his katana and stood in front of Raine, who was shaking her head to focus her vision.  
Zack narrowed his eyes dangerously at Tien, who glared back.  
"Hmm, I thought you didn't trust this young girl." Zack snickered as he grinned slightly.  
"Well you come first in that list." Tien growled.  
"Oh, so you want to defeat me before you slay the other dark one." Zack continued to snicker.  
"...And your point is?"  
"Oh, it's so obvious when it comes to human emotions." Zack snickered. "I feel pity of you."  
"What?"  
"Your feelings will never be answered, either if you survive this fight or not." As if that was the cue, Zack raised his hand up, palm facing out. There was a bright flash, immediately followed by a blast of an energy ball. Before Tien can recover from the sudden brightness, he was enveloped into the energy ball, paralyzing him. Zack walked past Tien and knelt before Raine, who was frozen in fear.  
"I was thinking about taking your dark spirit out, but I've decided not to do that." Zack said, with his evil smile on his face. "Don't worry, you'll meet Link later...not in this world, that is!" Zack took the Raine's necklace as he took out a little bottle. He poured the liquid onto the stone, which almost immediately made the stone black.  
'It...It can't be!' Tien thought as he struggled to break free.  
"This'll be the finest curse for you dark one." Zack laughed as he disappeared. As soon as the Evil Spirit disappeared, the paralyzing curse disappeared, letting Tien fall down to his knees. After taking in a few breaths, he turned to see Raine, who was struggling to keep her hands away from her weapon.  
'Ugh...The curse... How did Zack know about the stones?!' Tien thought angrily as he knelt down before Raine.  
"Seal me...with your necklace." Raine said through her clenched teeth.  
"But—"  
"Just do it!" Raine shouted. "If you don't..." Raine's hand grasped the handle of her weapon as she slowly got up.  
"...If you don't, I'm going to kill myself before I kill you."  
Tien sighed, resigning. "...Fine."  
Tien got up, took a couple of steps back, and placed the pendant of his necklace in his palms. He closed his eyes as the necklace started glowing blue. The surrounding landscape turned into shades of blue, but after a while, it slowly returned to its original color. What was left was a blue orb surrounding each figure. Raine screamed in pain, dropping her weapon. Almost immediately, she collapsed unconscious. The two blue orbs faded away as Tien opened his eyes and tucked away his necklace. He slowly made his way toward the unconscious girl and knelt down beside her.

~*~*~*~*~

'...Did I really die?' Raine (A.N.: she's not the evil one) thought as she opened her eyes. Instead of finding herself in complete darkness, she was standing in the village that she had spent most of her childhood in—in a village that was in the land of Klania.

__

Why am I here?  
I'm supposed to be elsewhere,  
Hidden from the rest of the people.  
I'm supposed to be not seen.  
No one wants to see me.  


Memories zip past by Raine as if they were carried by the wind; but the wind was slow enough for her to see what kind of memories they were. The memories were the times when she had spent her time in the village...including when the villagers chased her out. Then there were another wind carrying memories of being a wanderer; going to a village, but only to be chased out again.

__

What am I?  
I lived in many places—  
But the people living there always reject me.  
They hiss and spit at me—  
They always get angry and annoyed at me.  
I'm not supposed to be heard.  
No one wants to hear me.

More memories of being a wanderer kept on rushing past Raine as she closed her eyes. Times when she was wandering aimlessly through forests and deserts—times when she walked for whole three days without food or water. Those were the days when Raine didn't even try to remember what her name was...

__

Who am I?  
I have no name.  
I'm nobody.  
I'm not supposed to have a name.  
I shouldn't be living in a place where people live happily.  
I need to find another place to live in.

'Those days...I remember them...I don't want to remember those days...' Raine thought as she knelt down.

**Flashback of a memory**

"You aren't from around here. Why are you here?" An old lady asked Raine when she passed by. Raine was in an unknown land, trying to get as far away as she can from Klania.  
"I'm...just a traveler. I'm going from one place to another, just enjoying the landscape." Raine replied politely as she bowed lightly.  
"Ah, I see. I first thought you were a looking for something." The old lady nodded.  
"Actually, I _am_ looking for something."  
"Oh, is that so? What is it? I might be able to help you."  
"I'm looking for my homeland to know about some information about my family."  
"Ah, I see. And where is exactly your homeland?"  
"Hyrule."  
"Oh, I heard that Hyrule is an extremely nice place to be in. Some people say that there are Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudos living there along with Hylians. It's pretty rare to have those three races to live in the same land with a different race." The old lady said.

**End Flashback**

__

All I know is that I'm a wanderer—  
I drift from place to place,  
Not knowing who or what I am—  
Not knowing why I'm living.  
Why am I living? Why am I here? What am I? Who am I?  
I'm a cursed human being.  
The goddesses wanted me to live in hell.  
I am a wretched weakling that doesn't deserve to live.

**Flashback**

"...That's for weak people to say!" Zane said as he floated around Raine's head. "Weak people can't see far into their future; they always think on the darker side. That makes them stumble to more darkness. But you know, there's always light somewhere in that darkness for you to escape through. But those weak people, like I said, can't see far enough. They take the very last option to get out of the darkness before they find the light: to kill themselves."

**End Flashback**

__

But why am I still alive?  
No one to talk to,  
No one to see,  
No one to believe...  
I have no livable life.  
I shouldn't be alive.  
But I'm alive.  
My heart is beating.  
I have emotions within my soul that I can't show.

**Flashback**

__

"Raine, this place isn't your true homeland." Lien said. "Your homeland is Hyrule, a great land far away from here. You are a Hylian, Raine. See your ears? That is the proof."

**End Flashback**

'Yeah, but... That place isn't a place for me. There's no space for me to fit in. I'm only a troublemaker.' Raine thought.

_ How am I able to live?  
Is there someone that I care about?  
But no one wants to see me.  
No one wants to talk to me.  
Then how is it that I have this feeling toward someone? _

...Who is the person that I care?  
...Who gives me the light and strength?  
...Who stops me from reaching the knife to stop my heart?  
...Who?

'A lot of people helped me get this far... How could I forget?' Raine thought as she beat her head.

I'm supposed to be a cursed, pathetic, isolated creature that no one trusts.  
They all growl and snap at me and chase me away.  
I am a wanderer—  
I don't have a homeland.  
But why am I in such a place?  
Why do I proceed to find my homeland when I don't have one?

**Flashback**

Raine sighed. "I was hoping a little bit that you would've forgotten about me." Raine said softly.  
"Why?"  
"...Because I'm nothing but a chaos bringer." Raine replied.  
"No you're not!" Saria said with disappointment in her voice. "You tried your best to cheer me up whenever I was feeling down! Don't you remember those times?"  
"Well, yeah, but-"  
"You've changed a lot, Raine." Saria said as she smiled. "I'm glad we've got to meet again."

**End Flashback**

'There _was_ a homeland for me...when I was so small...but that won't make a difference.'

Unknown, Confusing emotions rush into me—  
Anger, Happiness, Sadness...  
...And another emotion that I don't understand.  
Why do I feel like this?  
Is it because of the person I care?

'Link...I wonder if he really died...' Raine thought as she hugged her knees. This thought brought tears to her eyes. She buried her face into her knees as she wept. 'Why did it have to be like this...'

**I really hope this chapter was long enough to fill in the space of the time that I didn't post... This chapter didn't turn out as I expected to be, but oh well. It still was a sad chapter. :P Hmm, the baddies have advantage right now... I hope I'll be able to make it so that the ending won't be crappy with the baddies laughing their heads off! O_o;;;;;  
OMG...I actually almost cried when I was writing up the last part with the poem... Maybe it's because I was listening to a sad music to get myself into that mood so I can type better. ^_^;; Oh btw, I wrote that poem; confusing, ne?  
Anyway, thank you for you people who read it all the way up to here. I'll try my best to hurry up and finish this story so I can start working on my other ones. ^_^;;**


End file.
